The War
by EllaRose00
Summary: Takes place 11 years or so after "The Healer." Leah's POV. Over the years, armies have grown and lines have been drawn. Some are ready to defend their side but some are still deciding on what they are fighting for.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, Everyone! I hope you enjoy this next story as much as the last one. Just an FYI, this story is not beta so I apologize in advance. I'm sure there are tons of mistakes and I'm sure there are many of you that have an urge to print this off and shower it with red marks and send it back to me, but I wanted to post it anyways. Hopefully you can get past it and enjoy Leah's story in spite of the bad grammar. **

There I stood on the dance floor, a little shocked but more irritated than anything else, with a bouquet of flowers mocking me in my hands. The surrounding single ladies that I stood next to on the dance floor slowly walked back to their tables in defeat…looking longingly at the flowers that I was grasping. I sighed, as I realized that they still had a far better shot than I did at ever getting married in the future. It was pretty pathetic, that I was even up here. As the crowed cheered and clapped, I fought the urge to fling them on the floor and proceed to stomp on them. What an awful wedding ritual. The only thing stopping me was the look on Nessie's face. She squealed and clapped while she nodded her head as if to tell me that she was right and the possibility of love was still out there for me. I looked at her suspiciously as I had a crazy notion that she had been aiming for me all along. Before I could roll my eyes, she gave me a big hug, followed by the many flashes of cameras. I smiled for the picture and made my way back to the table.

I sighed as I sat down on my seat placing the flowers delicately on the table. They were absolutely beautiful; each flower…each petal on this arrangement was perfect; Swarovski crystal's danced on to several petals as they were wrapped together by a dark blue satin bow. It was a pretty extravagant bouquet…actually; it was a pretty extravagant wedding. It was probably the most extravagant wedding in the whole world. I couldn't fathom the amount of money was spent. We had all arrived to this private island, at this recently built private resort, on private jets that apparently all owned by the Cullen Family. Island Esme was heavenly. It was absolutely beautiful and every view on the island looked like it belonged on a postcard.

The ceremony had taken place on the beach, just before twilight. If I hadn't thought that the sparkling that came off of the guests who were vampires as the sun was setting was so freaky, made the scenery all that more stunning. It was unreal and I'm sure Alice had planned it that way. Sam was officiating. He had decided to get ordained as it was becoming a necessity with the amount of weddings that were taking place every year.

I looked back out on the dance floor and watched Jacob hold Nessie close to him, his hand laid protectively on her back, as they danced on the dance floor. Her loosely curled unusual bronze hair, identical to her father's hair, gently sway across her shoulders. She looked spectacular, an absolute perfect bride. Though her dress was the most beautiful I had ever seen, worth the 11 years of design and handwork that had crafted it, it only complimented her, never out showing her beauty. I watched enviously as they looked longingly at each other as if there was no one else in the room. Jacob had that same goofy grin that hadn't seemed to leave his face, not even for a second, which had been plastered all week and now miraculously grew even bigger today.

I continued to watch as more couples made it out on to the dance floor. Times like this I had wished I had brought a date, but that was not even an option for me. I grabbed my empty glass of water and began chewing on the ice that was let. As my eyes grazed across the dance floor, they landed on Edward who was dancing with his wife Bella. An involuntary smile formed on my lips that I couldn't help. I could no longer look at him the same way again…not after I knew what happened at the Bachelor party. The vision of him, courtesy of Jacob, being almost mauled by that drag queen flashed in my mind. It was a scavenger hunt mission gone bad. His eyes immediately narrowed at me and I mouthed an apology. He rolled his eyes and looked back to smile at Bella who was looking at him suspiciously. I was ordered by Jacob that I was to keep my mouth shut about the incident and I was in no way allowed to tell Nessie, though I had been dying to. But because he was the Alpha and I respected his effort on making sure he kept things on good terms with his new father-in-law (which was weird for me to imagine since Edward looked so much younger than Jake) I had to comply. I couldn't help that it sometimes popped in my head, especially when I needed a good laugh.

After Jacob's bachelor party, I looked at all of the Cullen men differently. I always thought of them slightly uptight, so overly proper, well maybe not so much Emmett but the rest of them were so serious all of the time. So being part of the pack, secrets of what they did at the bachelor party was something that they just couldn't keep from me. I would have been a bit smug about being the only girl to know what happened at this top secret testosterone induced outing that they were making it out to be if I hadn't wanted to tell someone what they did so badly. It was too hilarious to keep a secret. While Emmett and Seth planned the elaborate scavenger hunt, Jasper and Edward had planned an even more elaborate game of capture the flag. Which in itself is not that funny but what was, is how into it they all got. Imagine all of them, even Dr. Cullen, in all cameos from head to toe, even their face was painted in cameo. I quickly glanced over to him as he was dancing with his wife Esme. God, it was so weird.

Ten years ago, such a game between vampires and us wolves would have been hard to imagine without someone losing their temper or possibly a fatal casualty. But the tie that bonded us all together, Jacob and Nessie, had made us much like family over the years. And though, I still sometimes resent the vampires for coming, being the catalyst that turned me into what I was today and losing Sam, was completely overshadowed at the peace I saw fall on all of us and the love that we all had for each other that seemed to grow over the years.

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, had seemed to be my life motto. This was my 15th wedding this year alone that I was a bridesmaid in. But this wedding was different, since it was a wedding of my two closest friends. Everyone else had put me in their wedding party just because it was a great honor to have an Alpha and a Beta to be apart of your wedding. Jake had been in just as many weddings as I.

I tried to date; I really gave it my best effort. But it was useless. Any connection that I might have made with someone from the opposite sex could never be as strong and nearly as satisfying as a relationship with an imprint would be. How I wished for blissful ignorance. It is unfortunate that I, being part of the pack, knew exactly how it felt. I had seen it and felt it through my pack brothers. As much as I wanted to just settle for something second best, I just couldn't.

I looked back at the bouquet of flowers that I had caught that was still sitting on the table. I bit my bottom lip as I admitted to myself that deep down I still did have a small glimmer of hope that it would still happen for me. No matter how cynical I was, no matter how much I tried to convince myself, I could be happy with just myself, I still allowed myself to hoped. One day, it would be me dancing with my new husband on that dance floor. One day, I would be just as happy and in love as everyone else was.

I looked up to find Claire, who was moving not very successfully in the same brides maid dress as I, stumbling in her heels, making her way to our table balancing two plates stacked with an array of different types of deserts. Usually she moved with more grace, this was just a clear sign that she had a lot to drink tonight. Quil would be having a good time in the bedroom tonight. Tipsy Claire was always a huge turn on to him…she had less inhibitions. It's sick that I know that.

"My diet officially starts tomorrow," she said as she sat down next to me, immediately picking up a chocolate covered strawberry and shoving it into her mouth.

"Claire, you look great. There is no reason why you would need to go on a diet," I said to her as I picked up a chocolate truffle off of one of her plates. She did look good; I would have told her if she didn't. It's not in my nature to lie and honestly, I'm just blunt like that.

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how hard it is to have best friends who all have amazing bodies? If I didn't love you all so much, I'd hate you all. I'd really, _really_ hate all of you."

I smiled at her. Sometimes I felt that way being standing beside Annabel or Nessie, whose beauty was out of this world. You couldn't help it but compare, it's the nature of women, I guess. But I was secretly pleased that she had put me in the same category as them.

She took another piece of dessert and took a bite. I watched her chew slowly and then sighed.

"How I wish I had your metabolism, Leah. If I did, I would take that chocolate fountain," she said pointing to the corner where the desserts and the over the top wedding cake was displayed, "and I would make Quil install it in our foyer and I would keep it on constantly. It would be awesome. Chocolate deliciousness anytime I want. "

I laughed as she said this with such a very serious face as if she was seriously considering it. That was a big bonus of this life I had acquired. Because my body's heat ran a lot hotter than normal, and shifting seemed to burn a lot of calories, I was always hungry, could eat whatever I wanted and never gain an ounce of fat. Small price to pay for love, I suppose.

"You know you look good and either way Quil would still be obsessed with you, no matter what size you were."

I watched her look across the room to Quil who was talking with Emmett. As if he sensed she was staring at him, he looked over to her a flashed a smile. She waved back and turned back to me.

"You're probably right," she said with her mouth still full but still grabbing for the next piece to put in her mouth. "These are_ sooo _good!"

I heard two giggling girls coming up from behind me. I turned around to find my two other best friends, making their way to our table. Nessie's arm was Annabel's shoulders and Annabel was pulling her forward.

Nessie flopped down on the chair.

"I am worn out!" she said as she tried to put her feet up on another chair but was slightly awkward by her big white dress.

"You better not be too worn out. Jacob with be disappointed," Claire said as she picked at the piece of cake on her plate.

"He only waited 11 years for tonight," Annabel said teasingly.

Nessie rolled her eyes, in the exact same way her father does.

"I defiantly won't be too tired for that. _ I_ waited 11 years too!" she said laughing. "I can't wait for the honeymoon. 15 more hours!"

I smirked at her. She had been counting down since last year to her honeymoon. The wedding was just an obstacle to get through to get to the honeymoon to her. Jacob was taking her across Europe, a trip that he had saved and planned since he proposed. They would be gone for a few weeks and then would return back to New York City to start school with all of us. I would have probably been just as excited if I had a father as strict as hers and one that could unfortunately read minds. All that suppressed sexual frustration was just dying to come out. I just hoped the three weeks would be enough to get it out of their system. Hopefully they would do it so often, they would be so sick of having sex they couldn't even think about it, especially Jacob.

I watched as Jake made his way to our table, whispering something in Nessie's ear and gently caressing his lips to her neck and then walked away. I internally groaned. My wish being granted seemed very unlikely. It had been near unbearable shifting with Jacob who seemed to find it impossible to keep his fantasies to himself over the past year.

We sat for a while, chatting and goofing off like we always do when the four of us are together. I liked our tight group that we formed together. Each of us was so different from one another, not just in personalities but in species as well: a vampire, a half-vampire, a shifter and a human. But we all found common ground within each other and loved one another as sisters. I should be happy with what I have. I had amazing friends and amazing family. I was living in New York City, in my own amazing town home, getting to go to college this year…for fun. I should be happy. But as the end of the night was drawing near, and one by one, my best friends left with their husbands, I couldn't help but feel utterly sad and so utterly alone as I made my way by myself to my room.

~*~*~*~

It's funny how a day can start out just like any normal day but ends up being one that alters your life forever. Everything starts out normal, doing your typical routine of waking up, taking a shower going throughout your day completely oblivious to what is about to come. It would have been nice to have a warning of sorts to let you know what was to come, someone to tell you to enjoy the last few hours of your life because soon your world will be turned upside down.

Yes, that would have been nice.

~*~*~*~

It hit me hard when it finally happened. Like getting the wind knocked out of you. I almost fell out of my seat when I saw him. I wanted to march over to him and say, "Where the hell have you been?!" But instead, I couldn't make it out of my seat. I sat there in shock, my legs frozen and unable to move. All I did was sit there and stare at the back of his head.

It was the first day of my economics class at New York University. I was sitting in a large lecture room waiting for class to begin. I glanced at the clock that sat high on the wall behind me. I made it early to class purely by accident. It didn't take as long to get there as I anticipate. I sighed as I pulled out my planner out and was doodling on it to pass the time.

A girl with dark brown bob that outlined her face sat down next to me and introduced herself as Jenny or Penny, I couldn't remember. Her thick black glasses danced on her face as she repeatedly pushed them back up on her nose as she droned on and on about nothing. I smiled and nodded my head to be polite. But really, I just wanted her to shut up. I had no interest in making friends. I was content with the friends I have and it was really unrealistic to let anyone in my circle. It would be safest for them to keep my distance.

I kept my eyes on my planner, skillfully coloring in all of the Es, Bs, and Ps in word September. Jenny or Penny went on and on about how excited she was to finally be in college. I smiled, lied and said I felt just as excited starting my first year as well. Unfortunately this was my 3rd time I would be starting my freshman year. To be honest, I was in my 30s pretending to be 19 years old.

I looked up from my planner and looked at the clock behind me, praying that time somehow moved faster. As I looked back to the front of the classroom, my eyes caught sight of two guys coming into the classroom and walking up the steps to find their seats. It was hard to miss the first guy. He was as tall as my pack brothers and maybe just as wide. I silently wondered how he would fit in the seat. He stepped aside, carefully making it through the aisle, when _he_ came into view. It hit me like a wreaking ball, enough for me to grasp the edge of the desk. Instantly my world was shifted and he became the center. Our eyes met for a brief second and I was taken aback at the color of them. They were a color I had never seen before. I have seen many blue eyes before, some lighter than others, but this color was unique. If I could give the color a name it would be silver bullet blue. It was bright blue color that had a touch of silver in them. It stood prominently against his tan skin and dark brown hair that I desperately wanted to run my hands through. He was tall and lean. I could see his muscles press against his white t-shirt. I watched him make his way through the aisle and sit down next to the big guy he came in with. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I could hear my desk legs squeak against the floor as I unconsciously moved forward as if there was a tight elastic rope pulling me to him. I immediately wanted to get up and sit next to him. But like a coward, I just sat there and continued to stare at the back of his head.

I watched the big guy lean into him.

"Did you see that hot brunette back there?" the big guy whispered to him. I watch him slightly nod his head.

I had never been more thankful for my superior hearing than I was now, hoping that they were talking about me. If I wanted I could listen to the lecture down the hall. It was nice to eavesdrop, even if it was impolite. I quickly took inventory of other brunettes behind me. I saw a few pretty brunette's in the class and started to wonder who they had been talking about.

"Too bad she is out of your league," the big guy joked.

"No one is out of my league," I heard him say; a little taken aback at how serious he sounded. I gazed at the perfect profile of his face and decided that he was probably right. I couldn't imagine any girl saying no to him.

"Lucas Westcott," A whisper said next to me. I looked to see Jenny or Penny smiling back at me.

"What?" I whispered back.

"That's who you are staring at. His name is Lucas Westcott," she said.

I looked back over to him and I saw his ears slightly perk up.

_Westcott?_ I thought. _Where have I heard that before? _

"As in Westcott Hotels and Condominiums, Westcott Enterprises and Westcott Tower. His family basically owns all of New York City," she continued to whisper. "I don't even know why he is going to school. I'm sure he is just going to take over the family business from his father."

"Maybe he doesn't want to take over the family business," I said softly, my eyes still focused on the back of his head.

"I highly doubt he has a choice."

I frowned wondering if Lucas was unhappy.

"See that big guy next to him?" Jenny or Penny said. I quickly looked back at her to find her practically jumping of anticipation to tell me. She was excited to share the gossip with me.

I nodded.

"He is always with him. I heard that he was trying to pass as his cousin or something, but rumor is that it's his body guard."

"Bodyguard? Why would he need a bodyguard?"

"His older brother, who was supposed to take over the business, was murdered a few years ago. Lucas is the only one left to take over. I heard his father is so afraid of loosing another son; he won't let him go out without a bodyguard. Especially with the crime rate in this city continues to sky rocketing."

I started to analyze Lucas even more. He definitely didn't look like a man who needed a body to take care of him. With those piercing eyes and body, he looked more like a threat than someone who was vulnerable. The word beautiful didn't describe him well enough. His look was far too dangerous for that.

"Extremely hot, right?" she asked.

"He's… cute," I said trying to sound nonchalant about it. Though I'm sure my body language said otherwise. She raised her eyebrow to me in disbelief.

"Well, he is as cocky as he is hot."

I smirked at her comment.

The teacher strolled in and finally started class. I didn't pay much attention to the lecture as I was still completely enthralled with Lucas. I tried to think of what my next move would be. Should I try and catch him after class? What would I say to him? I love you and we are soul mates? No, that would be too soon. I could just introduce myself. That sounds a lot better. I tried to think of how my pack brothers did this when they first imprinted. Jacob imprinted on Nessie when she was just a baby. So, there was no big introduction there. All he had to do was pick her up and play peak-a-boo for an hour and she was in love, same with Quil. Seth imprinted on Annabel when she had come over to the Cullen's house for dinner so many years ago. After that dinner, he had gone to see her at her house. She seemed just as taken aback as Seth was. Lucas, even though his back was facing me, didn't seem that interested at all. He never turned back to look at me. He seemed relaxed and completely unaware I was even in the room. A flash of worry shot through me. Was it possible for the person you imprint on not feel the same way you do? Everyone one of my pack brothers that imprinted on someone, everything worked out beautifully. All of their imprints were just as obsessed with them as they were.

The cynical side started coming out. Of course it wouldn't work out for you. It is life's crazy way of laughing at you. Nothing goes as you want it to, remember? I was Leah, destined to be alone and miserable. My track record in the love department had never gone well. Whenever I though I might just have a slice of what true happiness of what love was like, it is quickly snatched away from me before I ever had time to enjoy it.

My feelings for Sam had changed over the years. I knew what he had with Emily been something he couldn't deny. I spent a lot of time hating him for it, trying to find ways to punish him for it too. I wanted everyone to know how miserable I was those first years I was in his pack. But could you blame me? Being part of his pack made everything even that much worse. I knew everything about his new relationship. His first kiss, the first touch, everything. I could exactly how he felt when he looked at Emily. It was a constant reminder that of what I never would be to him…what I never really was. And I hated him and I hated the Cullens for taking my piece of happiness that I had. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if they never came back to that rainy town called Forks. Would I be happily married to Sam? Would I have been happy? Breaking away from Sam's pack was the best thing that ever happened to me. It was then I began to accept the cards that were placed in front of me. I took pride in being the only female shape shifter between both packs. It made me feel special….unique and one of a kind. I especially loved being Jacob's beta. I cherished being second in command, telling all those smart ass pack brothers what to do. I couldn't help but feel a bit self-righteous about it.

"I told you she wasn't out of my league. She said I was cute," Lucas whispered to the big guy.

"She only said cute. Puppies are cute…babies are cute," the big guy said.

Lucas snorted at him.

My stomach dropped. How could he have heard me from all the way here? But before I could grasp that concept, I felt a wave of excitement when I realized that I was the hot brunette they were talking about. My attention was brought back for a second as I watched Lucas get up from his seat and walk out of the classroom. I didn't realize class had ended. I got up quickly trying to gather my things as fast as I could to catch up to him, but it was nearly impossible with so many people walking down the aisle way. I tried to slide through everyone as fast as I could trying not to be rude about it. As I made it out of the building I was looking all around for him. My eyes caught him getting into the back seat of an expensive town car. The driver was holding the door for him. Before I caught up to the car, the door was shut. I stood there as the car started to drive away, deciding that I would be treading on crazy if I were to run up to the car and start knocking on the window. But just before the car would be lost in the traffic, I saw him turn around and look out the back window. I could have sworn he was looking right at me.

~*~*~*~

I didn't know what to do. I don't know how long I stood there, staring down the street at the path that his car took off in. I wanted to follow. I was upset at myself for not just going up to him and at the very least introducing myself. This is what I mean when I said some warning would have been nice. I could have planned ahead to what I would say to my imprint for the first time. I would have rehearsed it and our first meeting would have been perfect. Instead, I just stood there on the sidewalk; with I'm sure a dopy look on my face looking like an idiot. I shifted my bag on my shoulder and decided it was best just to go home. I decided not to take the subway and walk the many blocks to my townhouse.

I loved my home. It was given to me by Jake as a birthday present. Apparently the extravagant Cullen gift giving had rubbed off on him. I wasn't complaining. I walked, lost in my head, thinking about Lucas and how I would have handled the whole situation a lot differently. Before I knew it, I was at home. As I walked in I heard voices in my kitchen. I sighed as I really didn't want company. All I wanted to do was take a bath or lounge around and watch TV. It was the first night that Jake hadn't put me on patrol. With our numbers growing, I was thankful that I did not patrol as often as I used to. I almost lived a normal life.

I walked into my kitchen to find Claire, Annabel and Nessie talking at the table. They always escaped to my place when they needed time some girl time away from the husbands. There were never any men at my place. I never allowed any of the pack at my place, they are complete slobs and they eat all your food. As I walked in the kitchen, setting my bag on the floor, they all stopped talking and turned to look at me. I bit my bottom lip. Oh god, I thought. Can they tell?

"There is something different about you," Claire said as her eyebrows furrowed and she squinted at me as if a closer look would help her figure it out.

"Really?" I said trying to act nonchalant. "I bought some new makeup."

"No…that's not it," Annabel said. "And you didn't get new makeup. I raided your bathroom when I got here."

I gave her a questioning look.

"You always find really nice lip glosses," she said shrugging her shoulder.

"So if you lied about buying new makeup then…you must be hiding something," Nessie said.

I laughed nervously.

"You guys are crazy. I'm going to change into some sweat pants," I said walking out of the kitchen as fast as I could.

I made it to my bedroom, pulling my sweats and quickly changing into them. I didn't bother going back into the kitchen. I laid on my bed with my arm covering my eyes. I hoped that maybe they would get the idea that I just wanted to be alone and leave, but I could hear them coming…well I could hear Claire coming and only assumed the other two were right there with her. I picked up Nessie's scent to my right, Annabel on my left and Claire by my feet. I sighed and opened my eyes. They were all sitting on my bed looking at me.

"It happened, didn't it?" Nessie said her eyes wide. "You imprinted."

**A/N: Thanks again for reading. Reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews. Hope you like the next chapter. Thank you, Courtney for beta-ing this chapter! You are awesome!**

**If you get a moment, please check out my newest story called Life After. It is a Bella and Edward story. Let me know what you think!**

Claire came back into my room balancing my laptop in one hand and a pint of ice cream in the other. I raised my eyebrow at her, remembering just yesterday when she told me she was going to start her diet today. Like she had said 2 weeks ago and a month before that.

"I'll start again next week," she mumbled, the spoon still in her mouth. She made her way across the room and sat next to me on my bed.

She didn't need to lose weight. She just always had to have a cause or goal to strive for. A few months ago, she decided she wanted to be a vegetarian, despite the fact that she hates vegetables. Quil and the rest of the pack had a good laugh about that. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't make fun of her that long, she only lasted 2 days. It was the Big Mac that did her in. The year before, she got into a yoga. Quil had spent a lot of money on a membership to a very exclusive yoga center that she had used only twice. If anything, it was entertaining to see what new kick she would dream up next.

Annabel was lying on her stomach, flipping through a magazine, near the foot of my bed while Nessie rested her head on her back. Thank goodness I had a king size bed so we could all fit.

"I googled him," Claire said as she put the computer in my lap. "He's pretty hot. He totally has this 'rebel without a cause' thing going for him."

I rolled my eyes and began shifting through the many pages she had opened up about him.

"Hmm…Westcott, you said? Like in Westcott Hotels?" Nessie said.

"Not just Westcott Hotels. His family basically owns all of New York City. They dabble in just about everything: restaurants, clubs, banks... The list goes on and on," Claire said as she took another scoop of her ice cream.

"Does it say anything about his social life?" Annabel said. My heart sank. It never crossed my mind that he might be in a relationship.

"Not that I saw," Claire said.

I let out a sigh of relief. I surfed through the pages about his family and their many different businesses. I found it odd that there were no pictures of his family, only of him at different events. I stopped at one picture of him at a red carpet event last month. His face was serious and he was standing there awkwardly; as if he couldn't wait to get away from it all. His hands were shoved in to the pockets of his black tie suit. He looked amazing.

I enlarged the picture to find the same large guy that he attended the economics class with standing in the background, near him, keeping a watchful eye. I remembered what that girl in my class had said about his brother and decided to see if I could find any information on his murder.

"He had an older brother," I told the girls, as I was reading the article I found on him. There was a small picture of him and his brother together. It was one of the only pictures that I had found where Lucas was actually smiling, his brother's arm swung lazily around his shoulder. It was as if they were laughing at some private joke.

"Had?" Annabel said, jerking me out of my private reverie.

"Yeah, he was murdered 3 years ago. Or they assumed he was. They found traces of his blood but no body was ever found."

"Do they know who did it?"

"No. The only motive they have contemplated is money, but there wasn't a ransom note and none of his belongings were touched. I guess it's one of those unsolved mysteries."

I looked up to see Nessie's eyebrows furrow together, like she did when she was deep in thought.

"I feel like there is something more to this guy," she said.

There was definitely something more to Lucas. I probably should have mentioned that he had a bodyguard or that he could hear what I said in class today despite I was rows behind him and had spoken in a quiet whisper. No human had that kind of super hearing. I wanted to find out more about him on my own. I shut my computer.

"So what are you going to do?" Annabel asked.

"I should probably introduce myself first," I said.

"When do you see him next?"

"I have that class again on Thursday."

"Are you sure you're going to be able to wait till then to see him again?" Nessie said as she cocked her eyebrow at me.

I thought about it and finally admitted to myself that I couldn't wait. I wanted to stalk him. The thought of that scared me. Who and what was I turning into? I was making myself look desperate. Then again, I'm a pretty stealthy girl. I highly doubted he would know if I was there. But I didn't even know where he lived. I never caught his scent either. My only bet would be to roam around the city, hoping luck was on my side.

"You're not going to start stalking him, are you?" Annabel said, breaking me out of my daze.

"Of course not," I said using my best poker face. I wasn't necessarily lying. I just really didn't have all the information, like an address, to properly stalk him. I wondered briefly what the rest of his school schedule was.

Before I could dwell on it anymore, I heard my front door open. I heard Jake, Quil and Seth talking as they strolled into the apartment. I know I said that the pack wasn't allowed in my home, but when they came with Jake, I really didn't have a choice. I got up immediately hoping they weren't already rummaging through my fridge.

"Sure your not," Nessie said sarcastically as she started to get up from the bed and followed me out to the kitchen.

I sighed as I found Jake already in my cabinets and Seth in my fridge. Quil was sitting at the kitchen table already with a bag of chips and a can of pop in his hand.

"Well, if it isn't the three stooges," I said shutting the fridge door before Seth completely emptied it out.

"Hey!" Seth whined. He looked over at Claire who was strolling in with Annabel still holding her ice cream. "Claire, lemme have a taste."

She groaned and handed it over to him. I glared at the boys. I was going to have to go grocery shopping all over again. It was fine having just the girls over, Claire and I were the only ones who really ate. Plus, Claire always brought food over that she cooked. None of the boys ever did that.

"Chill out, Leah. It's not like you can't afford to get more groceries," Jake said as he picked Nessie up and set her on my kitchen counter, then leaned up against her. Nessie bent down and began nuzzling him on his neck. Ugh, newlyweds. Ever since they got back, they could not keep their hands off each other.

"That's not the point," I said as I sat down next to Seth at the kitchen table grabbing a handful of chips from the bag Seth was holding. "I just went shopping this past weekend. Now I have to go again. Do you realize that I have to shop at Costco? I'm a single girl, living on my own and I still have to buy food in bulk."

Money had become a non-issue these past 10 years. When we all lived on the reservation we made do with what we had. We never had any luxury or brand new items, but we didn't know any different. Now, money was a complete non-issue for everyone. Alice and the rest of the Cullen family helped us with investments and such. I didn't know exactly how much all of us were worth, all I knew was that we never had to want for anything anymore. Billy and Charlie managed most of the pack's expenses back in Forks. It made things a lot easier. It's hard to save the world when you're trying to keep a job and worrying about paying rent. Though, there had been some issues with the younger pack members and their frivolous spending. Some guidelines had to be enforced by Sam and Jacob.

"So anything exciting happen today?" Quil asked ignoring me.

Immediately Claire, Annabel and Nessie looked at me. _Thanks guys_, I thought sarcastically. Seth looked at the girls and then looked at me.

"Anything you'd like to tell us?" he asked.

"Not particularly," I said as I tried to think of something else to change the conversation.

There was a slight awkward silence the fell upon us. All you could hear was Seth chewing loudly on his chips. I could feel all eyes on me but I refused to look at anywhere else but the table.

"Leah imprinted today," I heard Claire say. My eyes shot up and gave her a death glare. She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders like she couldn't help it. Claire couldn't keep a secret to save her life. She claimed it was because she was Quil's imprint and she just couldn't keep secrets from him. This was a complete lie considering that I knew Jacob didn't tell everything to Nessie, especially any information pertaining to her mother. Just as well, if I were Nessie, I would prefer to remain in blissful ignorance about _that_ whole situation.

"Well, well, well…big sis," Seth said with a big grin on his face. "Who is the lucky guy?"

I shot him a glare. I really had no interest in continuing this conversation.

"That's the interesting part," Claire continued. It took everything I had not to pick her up and throw her out the door. "It's Lucas….." she paused for dramatic effect "…._Westcott_."

The guys were silently giving each other confused looks.

"Should we know who you are talking about?" Quil asked.

"Oh Nessie, you didn't end up imprinting on some teen heartthrob did you?" Jacob said his face full of pity. I felt my temper starting to fume within me. I put my hands underneath the table so that no one could see them starting to shake.

"Come on guys. Don't tell me you haven't heard the name Westcott before," Annabel said.

They sat and thought about it for a second.

"The only time I've ever heard the name Westcott is in like, Westcott Hotel," Seth said as he looked at Annabel. She looked at him with her eyebrows arched trying to stress that he should have already got it by now. Seth's brows furrowed together.

"You mean Leah imprinted on some old millionaire geezer?" Seth said. By now, I was really questioning if my brother and I were really truly related. Apparently I inherited all of the smarts in the family.

"Ugh…Seth, no. She imprinted on his son. The heir to the Westcott fortune," Annabel told him exasperatedly.

"Huh…" Jacob said not knowing what else to say. "So…when did this happen?"

I sighed.

"He has economics with me. I saw him in class this afternoon," I said.

"If he is an heir, why is he bothering with school?" Quil asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"So have you talked to him?" Jacob asked.

I was too embarrassed to mention that I had been a complete coward. I kept my eyes back on the table and shook my head slightly.

"I can't wait to meet him," Seth said slyly as he cracked his knuckles. I hated it when Seth pretended to play 'older brother protecting vulnerable sister' role. It was pathetic for so many reasons. One, we all know I can take care of myself. I'm far stronger than any human male. Two, Seth is my baby brother. I'd probably win if we had to wrestle. And three, I had a feeling Lucas was not someone who got intimidated easily, human or not.

I looked at him and gave him my favorite 'your acting like an idiot' look that I knew he hated.

"Well, keep us updated okay Leah?" Jacob said.

"Sure," I said hoping that it was the end of the topic. "Was there a reason to you guys coming over?"

"Yeah, I almost forgot," Jake said. "There is going to be a big meeting this Saturday afternoon. It's mandatory."

"What's going on?" I asked. Meetings were rarely mandatory. This meant something big was coming up.

"I think Carlisle and Edward may have gotten into contact with some of the werewolves in the city."

I leaned forward on the table. _This_ was interesting.

"Really?"

None of us have come across a werewolf before. Though it was rumored that they were living in New York City, they kept themselves and were very well disguised.

"Did you hear anything else?" I asked.

"Nope, I guess we will all find out on Saturday. Some other vampires from different clans are all sending a representative to come. This is pretty big."

~*~*~*~*~

I spent the rest of the next day trying to dig up any information on Lucas Westcott on the internet and came up short. I thought I could possibly find an address or a phone number… anything indicating where he might be. This city was huge and the chances of me stumbling upon him were pretty slim. Even so, I spent all day after classes, walking around just hoping good fortune was on my side and that I would bump into him. Unfortunately it was not.

So when Thursday rolled around, I was practically jumping with excitement and my heart was beating nervously as I walked to class. I spent the whole morning in the mirror rehearsing what I was going to say. I came up with various first lines but the one that I thought would work best was: "Hi. I'm Leah. What's your name?" I know… genius. So as I tried to steady my pace, walking to class while I kept rehearsing it in my head. 'Hi, I'm Leah. What's your name?' over and over again. By the time I got to the classroom, I had it down pat.

My heart beat even harder as I opened the door to the room. I looked up at the seats, my eyes quickly roaming trying to find if he was sitting somewhere. Unfortunately he had not shown up yet. I made my way to the middle center aisle. I picked my spot hoping that he would see me easily and choose an empty seat by me.

I sat down and took out my computer trying to make myself look busy. I glanced several times at the door waiting for him to walk through. Every time I saw the door open, my heart just about stopped. A wave of disappointment would roll over me when the person walking through the door wasn't the one who I really wanted to see. I started to worry if he was even coming at all. But before I could start to dwell on that horrible thought, I heard the door open again and I looked up. There he was, the man I had been fixated on for at least 48 hours and he had come alone. I instantly smiled. His eyes met mine for a second and I saw the side of his mouth curl. He looked far better then what I had initially imagined. I felt my body gravitate automatically to him. I desperately wanted to get up and press myself against his body. He made his way slowly up the steps. _God, please just let him sit next to me_, I thought. He pushed his long sleeve shirt over his fore arms as he made his way towards my aisle. I watched him as he sat down, leaving just one open desk between us….a buffer seat. I tried to look straight ahead so I wouldn't be caught staring at him. _Why didn't he sit next to me?_ I thought. I looked around the classroom as I noticed that there really wasn't anyone here yet. I guess it wouldn't be the correct social norm if you sat right next to someone you didn't know when there were so many other seats available. Kind of like that bathroom rule Seth told me once about never using a urinal right next to someone who was using. You always left a buffer one in between. It made things more… comfortable.

I looked over at him, my mouth half open just waiting to say that stupid line I rehearsed all morning but nothing came out. I pushed for something… anything to come out. Too embarrassed I turned back to the front of the room. I yelled at myself to just suck it up and talk to him. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I do this? I could fight vampires, shapeshift into a wolf, go on a suicide mission to Italy but for the life of me I could not talk to this guy. I took a deep breath and decided to try again.

As I turned my body to look at him, I was a little taken aback that he was already looking at me with an amused expression on his face. I smiled and he returned the expression. All anxiety suddenly slipped away.

"H-" I started to say but was interrupted by a huge man, Lucas's body guard or cousin, trying to make his way around my desk.

"Excuse me," he said as he decided to sit in the buffer seat. I was flooded with disappointment.

"Lucas, why didn't you wait for me? I practically had to jog to keep up with you," the large man said as he turned to Lucas.

"Sorr, I had something I had wanted to do," he said quietly.

"What?" he interrogated.

"Max, drop it."

"Fine, man. I'm just saying. You were in such a rush to get here, you'd think they were handing out Victoria's Secret models like they hand out candy on Halloween."

I heard him sigh. "Yeah, something like that."

More people piled into the room and before I knew it class had already begun. I tried to look at him again, attempting to be sly about it but Max was so big he blocked out everything. I inwardly groaned. At this rate, I was never going to talk to him. My only hope would be after class, but even then, Max was with him. Do I introduce myself to both of them? The teacher came in and started the lecture. I tried to concentrate on what he was saying but I kept trying different positions in my chair to try and get a quick view of Lucas. All attempts failed. Max was just too big. I sat there impatiently tapping my pencil on the desk. I couldn't wait for class to be over.

Halfway through class I heard a buzzing sound of a vibrating phone. I watched as Max uncomfortably shifted in his chair to pull the phone out of pocket. He quickly flipped his phone over, nudged Lucas to look at the message.

"Now?" I heard Lucas whisper so quietly. If I had been human, I would not have been able to hear.

"You don't have a choice," Max whispered back.

"Dammit. That old man has the worst timing."

"That old man is your father."

They sat for a couple of minutes. I could feel the tension rolling off them both.

"Fuck," Lucas muttered as he got up and walked out of the classroom. Max followed him down the steps. The teacher made it a point to give them both a dirty looks but continue on to the lecture.

A series of obscenities rolled into my head. I couldn't believe I missed my chance again. By some crazy miracle, I imprint. But the irony of it was that I just couldn't talk to him. I felt frustration and anger at myself over take my body. I closed my eyes trying to calm myself down. Thankfully the professor cut the lecture short and we all left early.

~*~*~*~

I didn't go home right away. I spent the rest of the day trying to walk off my anger. I don't know how far or how long I walked. Only it seemed that I was walking in circles. I'm sure I passed the same stores twice. The sun was setting by the time I decided to make my way back home. I stopped at the Chinese restaurant on my way home to get some take out. I finally made it back to my home still carrying my backpack and an order of shrimp fried rice and orange chicken.

I unlocked the door and set my backpack on the floor as I made my way into my home. I quickly checked my reflection in the mirror of the hallway as I set my keys on the table. My hair was a frazzled mess. I took a minute trying to comb it out with my fingers. While I stared at myself, I picked up on an unusual scent, one that shouldn't be in my home. I followed it all throughout my house. It was a human scent and it smelled good. It smelled like a man. It lingered more in my bed room than any place in the house. He had sat on my bed.

I was a little taken aback at how a human could have broken into my house or why they would. Nothing was stolen as far as I could tell. I checked my drawers and jewelry box and everything were accounted for. Actually, nothing was out of place. Had I been a normal human, I would never have known someone had been here. Who was here and why? Immediately I called Jake.

Jake and Nessie showed up ten minutes later. I met them at the door with my orange chicken in one hand and chopsticks in another. I offered some to Nessie but she just made a face. Jake immediately got started on following the scent while Nessie followed me back to the kitchen.

"So did you talk to him today?" she asked as she took a seat at my kitchen.

I inwardly groaned again, reminded of my latest failure.

"Um…nope," I said shoving another piece of chicken in my mouth.

"Are you planning on talking to him?" She said as she cocked her eyebrow. I hated it when she did that. It made her look so much like her father: cocky and a little smug.

"Sure," I said trying to should nonchalant about it. Hopefully she would just drop it.

Jake came back into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

"It's definitely human," he said.

"Human? Did you have a burglar?" Nessie asked.

"Nope. Well, I don't think so. Nothing was stolen."

"Hmm… I wonder why they broke in. Maybe they were looking for something."

"Like what? Everything is exactly where I left it. Nothing has been moved or disappeared."

"How would they of even gotten in? Don't you lock your windows and doors?"

I rolled my eyes at her. I'm not that careless.

"Apparently by breaking your bedroom window's lock," Jake said.

I looked up at him waiting for him to continue.

"The metal on the lock…it's broken in half," he continued.

"I didn't realize those locks were so old," I said.

"They're not. I had them put in new locks when we renovated this place for you."

"Would a human been able to do that?"

"No, absolutely not."

I sat there chewing on that bit of information for a moment.

**A/N: Please review! Thanks again for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews already. You guys are awesome! I'm trying my hardest to try and post new chapters as fast as possible. I know there were some complaints. So I will do my hardest to post as soon as I can, without life getting in the way. **

**Anyways, I wanted to say thanks to Courtney for looking over this chapter. You're great! Hope you all enjoy the next chapter!!**

* * *

The dark alleyway was empty, with only two street lights illuminating the block. The sound of my heels tapping against the pavement echoed off the buildings as I walked slowly. I could feel him following me. He was close and I smiled. I had played this part before. They were all predictable, especially the men. It was funny how that even after death, men still can't resist a girl in a short plaid skirt.

"Hey beautiful," he said.

I turned around and saw that he stood a few yards behind me, a gorgeous smile on his face. His pale skin glowed under the moonlight. His hair was just as pale as his skin but his eyes smoldered a deep crimson red.

"Are you lost?" he asked taking a couple steps forward. I nodded and took one step back.

I was surprised that he hadn't attacked me yet. He must be a little bit older than a year. I could see the hunger in his eyes. Too hungry to realize I smelled different than a normal human.

"I can help you find your way."

"I'm sure you could," I said sarcastically, wishing he would attack already.

He took a few more steps forward while I continued to take a few more steps back. I made sure to keep a constant distance between us.

"I promise I won't hurt you," he said as licked his lips and smiled again.

"Oh?"

"Well…I promise it will be fast."

He then crouched down, ready to pounce, a small growl ripped from his chest.

_Finally!_ I thought. I felt my body start to shake with excitement. I grinned widely and I could feel the anticipation in my eyes. He was a little bit taken aback by my expression but before he could think about it, I ran towards him tearing my tank top and skirt off and phased in front of him. He stood there in complete shock, just like all the others did when I played this game. Before he could react, I pounced off the side wall and then sunk my teeth into his arm as I ripped it out. You always aim for their arms first. Newborns are far too strong. If they ever get both arms around you, you're done for.

As I spit out the limb, I looked over at him. My tongue wagging out as I was just tickled pink about what I just did. This was a good idea, I thought, a big improvement from sitting at home pitying myself about today's failure. I was feeling considerably better. He stood there in shock as he glanced at the arm that was now missing. Before he could pounce again, I saw Embry and Paul jump down from the building and onto him, tearing him apart and finishing the job. Soon there were just scattered pieces of vampire everywhere.

_Quick! Pile the pieces._ I called to them in my mind.

I picked up my pieces of clothing with my mouth and carried them over to the dark corner near the dumpster..

_I think that only took 10 minutes. New record, huh boy_s? I said to them a bit smug.

_Whatever Leah. _Embry said.

I quickly changed and brought the extra two extra jeans I had stashed for them in the corner. We had clothing hidden everywhere in the city. Sometimes they were always there and sometimes we would see them on a bum the next day. I lit the limbs on fire as I waited for them. We usually waited until everything had burned before leaving.

"How's Rachel doing?" I asked Paul.

"She's good. Two more months," he said.

I smiled. This was there fifth child. She usually popped out one every couple years.

"So why did you want to patrol with us tonight?" Embry asked as he finished zipping up his jeans.

"I needed to blow off some steam."

"Ah. I'm sure you'll finally talk to Lucas. I wouldn't worry about it."

I shrugged my shoulders. I hated that we had no secrets. We knew everything about each other, maybe even more than even their own spouses. I knew what everyone loved, feared and worst of all what they were ashamed of.

"You guys can take off if you'd like. I'll finish up here."

I saw the sun slowly starting to rise. I knew it was suppose to be a bright and sunny day so the city would be pretty safe for now.

"Thanks Leah, we'll see you at the Cullens this weekend," Embry spoke as he and Paul took off.

I nodded to them and leaned up against the wall to watch the flames. I knew Embry was anxious to get back. His youngest son, Pay, was showing some early signs of shifting. He wasn't really comfortable, leaving him alone. His older son, Tate was watching him till he got back from patrolling but Pay was known for his temper. It was almost as bad as what Paul's use to be. Thank God Paul imprinted on Rachel. He had been pretty tame since then.

As soon as the fire burned out and only ashes were left, I made my way back home. The city was starting to slowly wake up. I was exhausted and ready to fall asleep. I looked up at the sky and realized what a sunny day it was going to be. I was thankful I had such heavy curtains for my bedroom. It would be easier for me to fall asleep.

I made it home 30 minutes later. I quickly peeled off my clothes and took a quick shower. I had enough time for a nice long snooze before the big meeting tonight. As I made my way back to my room in a towel, I picked up that scent in my room again. I trailed to my window. My eyebrows furrowed together when I noticed that the lock on my window was now fixed.

~*~*~*~

The house was uncomfortably full. Whenever there were large amounts of shifters and vampires in the room, it couldn't help but be tense. Usually shifters stayed on one side of the room and vampires on the other. Only the Cullen family would take up the space in the middle.

"I just don't understand why the werewolves refuse to communicate with us directly," Garrett said as he stepped forward towards Carlisle, still holding Kate's hand.

"You have to understand that they still hold a lot of prejudice against us vampires. Caius almost completely wiped them out. If they want to use the witches as a middle person, then we have to respect their wishes," Edward said.

_Witches?_ I thought. I shouldn't have been that surprised, considering that I was a shape shifter and I existed. I couldn't help my thoughts wander a bit as I contemplated if fairies existed too. I stifled a giggle when my thoughts continued onto more outrageous paths as I considered if Santa and the Easter bunny was real. Annabel and Claire shot me a curious look. I shook my head and turned my attention back to what was being discussed in the room.

"What about shape shifters? Would they be willing to talk to us?" Jake asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "They are uncomfortable about dealing with anyone who has an alliance to us."

"What makes the witches so trustworthy?" I asked.

"We just have to have faith. We don't have much of a choice."

"So what now? Are the willing to join our side?" Nahuel asked.

"No, they are still on the fence. It seems to be that they are just as divided as we are. There is another large werewolf pack in England. That pack seems to be talking to the Romanians unfortunately. The American pack is not sure if they want to go against them. They are all family."

"Family?" Amun asked.

"Yes, they are all related some how. They reproduce like humans."

"So the pack in England…?"

"The head of the pack in England is distant cousin of the head of the pack here in the U.S. The pack here is well…torn. He doesn't want to go against his family but I get the sense he does not agree with them."

"Why would the pack from England want to have an alliance with the Romanians?" Zafrina asked.

"We don't know. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer? They seem to be on secret agenda," Edward said.

"The Romanians keep building armies all over the world. We all know how difficult it has been to try and keep their numbers down," Carlisle spoke very carefully. "Our best bet in winning this war is to convince the werewolves here to be on our side. It is our only hope."

As the main conversation died out, people began to file out of the house slowly. I waited for Jake and Nessie outside on the porch. I had ridden with them here and was waiting for my ride back. I sat on the steps as I waved goodbye to Annabel and Seth. I knew Nessie would be awhile, since she was talking to her parents. I looked up at the sky and was happy to see a few stars tonight. That was one of the drawbacks about living in the city…too many lights to see the stars. I heard footsteps from behind me and the person took a seat beside me.

"Hey. What are you doing tonight?" I turned my head to find Nessie sitting next to me.

"Um…the usual. Renting a movie and a pint of ice cream."

"You want to go out? Just you and me?" she asked.

I eyed her suspiciously. I could always tell when she had an alternative plan. She rolled her eyes at me as I continued to stare at her still speculating.

"The Westcott's are opening a new club downtown. My dad got us on the list. Someone he invested with owed him a favor. It's supposed to be a big opening, red carpet and everything," she said.

"And you want to go?"

"Well, it might be fun. But I figured that the fact that Lucas might be there would be worth going."

I smiled at her.

"Yeah..sure. It's worth a shot."

~*~*~*~

The club was dark and crowded. It seemed as though they were having a successful opening. The sound of the bass was so loud I could feel it pumping through my chest. Nessie grabbed my hand and led me to the bar. She found a group of guys standing waiting for a drink and flashed her best smile. Instantly they made room and offered to buy us drinks. As we waited for the bartender to mix our drinks, I took the opportunity to scope out the crowd. I couldn't imagine Lucas being here, amongst all these people who were standing so close. I looked at the people dancing on the dance floor, pressed up against each other.

"Here you go, Leah," Nessie said as she handed me my drink.

I took my drink and took a sip. I looked at Nessie who attempted a sip of hers but ended up making a face.

"Eh, why do people drink this?" she said.

"I don't know. Alcohol doesn't really affect me. Maybe the feeling of being drunk is worth the awful taste."

We walked a bit more, checking out the new club. It was very upscale and modern. The Westcotts sure knew what they were doing. After a bit we decided to dance. I was happy to find that I was starting to have fun despite being so nervous about coming here tonight. It was getting late in the night and it seemed that Lucas was not going to make an appearance. I stopped being on constant alert for him and just started to enjoy myself. I was having fun dancing with Nessie. I suddenly realized that we hardly ever went out together, just me and her. This was nice. I made a mental note to do it again.

"I love this song!" she squealed as she twirled around. She was getting a little crazy and I laughed as I wondered if Jacob ever witnessed her like this. She grabbed my hand and trying to get me to dance with her. I couldn't help but join in. We laughed and danced with each other which seemed like for hours. A bouncer came up to us asked if we wanted to dances together on the platform near by the DJ booth. It was exciting to have the spotlight on us. I felt lost in the moment. My eyes were closed as I swayed my body to the beat. When I opened them, I glanced up in the balcony. Immediately my eyes set on Lucas. He was staring right at me. My heart just about stopped and I almost fell of the platform. He looked amazing. His white button down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up looked amazing. It showed off his glowing tanned skin perfectly. I tried to keep dancing, taking not to take my eyes off of him. He was in a roped off area, VIP I assumed, leaning forward against the railing. I saw a large man, a bouncer of some sort, near him, repeatedly turning down every girl who tried to talk to Lucas. He just stood completely still, staring right back at me. _This is stupid! Just go up there and talk to him,_ I thought. _Seize the moment!_

"If you stay on this platform any longer, I'm going to push you off," Nessie spoke in my ear behind me.

I took a breath trying to psyche myself up. _I can do this,_ I kept chanting in my head. The worst he could do is turning you away. It's not like you've never been rejected before. Instantly, my stomach dropped at the thought.

"Go, Leah. It's so obvious he is completely enthralled with you. He can't stop staring." Nessie waved down the bouncer and before I knew it the large man was picking me up and setting me carefully onto the floor. I looked back up just to see if he was still staring…he was. I took a deep breath. Now I was determined. I would not miss out on my opportunity to speak to him again. I made my way to the stairs and climbed them as quickly as I could. As I made my way to the top, I looked over to the VIP area. He wasn't there anymore. My heart plummeted. I couldn't believe it. I had missed my opportunity three times! I walked a little further into the floor to check and be sure that he wasn't up there. But he was no where to be seen. Furious with myself, I turned around to make my way back downstairs.

Before I could make it down, my body was yanked into a dark cramped space. The act of it shocked me. The first thing I noticed was the person's scent. It was wonderful and distinctly familiar. I remembered it as the same scent that I found in my house. I stood there stunned. What was he doing in my home? I looked up to find Lucas staring intensely back at me. His silver blue eyes glowed as he stared at me as if I was something that he was hunting. I found myself slightly fearful of it. All too fast, I found myself pressed up tightly between the wall and Lucas. I gasped as I felt his hand on my lower back as he pressed himself a closer against me. I stood there completely still, afraid to move but finding I had no desire to either. With his other hand he slowly pushed all of my hair to my opposite shoulder. I was thanking my lucky stars that I decided to wear a strapless dress tonight. He leaned down, grazing his nose lightly on the skin of my jaw. His nose trailed down my neck then to the curve of my shoulder. I shuddered with delight, as I could feel his warm breath on my skin. I bit my lip hard as I felt his lips press down at the edge of my shoulder. He paused there and I could feel him thinking. Suddenly, he pushed himself off me and I found myself alone in the dark space.

I was in complete shock. I recovered as fast as I could, as I scrambled out of the corner and tried to follow him. He was moving so fast and I couldn't catch up. I saw him turn into another room and I ran after him. As I reached the room, I found it was completely empty. A window was open, the light curtains blowing around from the breeze coming in. I poked my head out, letting the idea of him jumping out the window dance in my head. I saw down below was an empty alleyway, just a dumpster sitting on the side of the wall. I shook my head at myself. _He's human._ I thought. There is no way a human could have jumped out of the window and survived. I was almost certain he was human. He smelled so much like one and his touch…his soft lovely touch was warm. Not too warm, and definitely not too cold. It was perfect. I walked around the room, letting my fingers graze the wall, hoping to find a trapped door. That was my only other guess. But I was disappointed to find nothing.

"Hey," I heard Nessie say behind me.

I turned around to find her at the door.

"So, did you finally talk to him?" she asked.

"Um…not exactly."

~*~*~*~

I spent the rest of the night, replaying the events of what happened at the club over and over in my head. I couldn't understand it. I couldn't even begin to comprehend it. I kept thinking of how it felt to be pressed up tightly against him, the way his hand pressed against my back. How he had skimmed his nose along my neck down to my shoulders, I played over and over again in my head. I had never been that afraid and that turned on in my life and definitely not at the same time. The way his eyes stared at me was so…predatory. I couldn't make sense of it. Why did he leave? Why hadn't he at least talked to me?

By morning, I was functioning on 3 hours of sleep. It was Sunday and I decided to find something that would keep me busy. I got out of bed and finally put some jeans on. I couldn't believe he had so much effect on me already. I was becoming pathetic. I needed to prove to myself that I could still function normally. I decided to get out of my townhouse and do something. Shopping seemed like my best choice.

The automatic doors opened as I stepped inside the bookstore. I was looking for a book on knitting. It was Claire's new kick and her birthday was coming up. I made my way through the aisles stopping at the art books, wondering if I should buy one to put on my coffee table. I was thumbing through when someone walked by giving off a slight breeze and I caught a familiar scent. It was him. I put the book back in the shelves and looked around. I didn't seem him anywhere. I followed the scent, walking slowly through the book shelves. I spotted him in the philosophy section. I hid myself behind a large post, watching as he picked each book up, flipped through it casually and replaced it back on the shelf.

I felt awkward going up to him now and introducing myself. After the night at the club, it seemed silly to go through introductions after such an intense and intimate moment. So I simply watched him, following him throughout the store. Everything he did, I was memorized by. The way his hand fell casually by his side and the way he would drum his fingers against the side of his leg. My heart skipped a beat every time he smiled at some humorous passage he must have read. I fell in love with the way he picked up each book, using his index finger to pull the book out by the top ever so slightly. The way he would study the cover before decided to pick it up. I adored the way he would intensely study a page, resting his hand on the back on the neck.

I continued watching him as he made his way to the checkout counter. I smiled when I overhead the cashier call him by his first name as they exchanged greetings, making note that he must come here often. As he made his way out the door, I continued to follow behind, making sure I was at a good distance, so he wouldn't know I was following. He stopped by a bagel shop, taking a seat outside and read while drinking his coffee. I wondered if this was how he spent most of his Sunday mornings. Fifteen minutes later he got up to throw out his trash and left. He was moving slightly faster now and it was becoming harder to follow. I kept getting caught by people stepping into my view, or by the crowds of people who were looking at a sidewalk vendor's products. Before I could lose his scent among the crowds of people, I saw him turn down an alley-way. I picked up my pace faster and rounded the corner. I stopped abruptly in my tracks as I realized he stood there with his arms crossed. He was waiting for me.

His jaw tightened and the glare in his eyes threw me off a little. For a fleeting moment, I was terrified of him again.

"Why are you following me?" he said sharply.

"I..I wasn't…" I tried to lie. But then I remembered his scent and I felt my eyes glare back at him. "Why were you in my home?"

A slight flash of surprise appeared in his eyes. He wasn't expecting me to know.

"What are you?" he asked slowly taking a closer step towards me.

I took a step back. I didn't know how to tell him and this certainly was not the place to do so either way.

"I'm tired of playing these games…._Lucas_," I said his name like I'd known him forever. I took a deep breath and turned on my heel to leave. In less than a blink of an eye, he was in front of me again.

"You're not human, are you?" he asked suspiciously.

_Not exactly_, I thought. I rolled my eyes and proceeded to try and walk by him but his arm shot out in flash blocking my path and leaving a nice hand imprint in the brick wall. My eyes stared at the small pieces of rock that were falling to the floor.

"Clearly you're not either," I said mockingly.

He stepped even closer to me and I could feel his warm breath on my face.

"Are you a witch? Have you put a spell on me?" he spat out.

I started to laugh.

"Are you kidding me? What kind of spell do you think I put on you?" I said defensively.

"A love spell."

My eyebrow rose at him. He must be joking and I should still be laughing, but his face was frightening. He was dead serious.

"I can't stop thinking about you. It's like you've taken over my head. I dream about you every night. I've become obsessed," he said harshly.

I sighed as I realized how romantic it would have sounded if there wasn't so much hatred behind his words. It was like he couldn't stand what he was feeling and wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. His words were so angry and he spoke as if he couldn't believe that someone like me could possibly have that effect on him. I was crushed.

"I'm not like this. I don't obsess about anything…especially about a girl," he spat.

I pushed his arm with as much strength as I could to let me through. He was a bit taken back by my strength as he stumbled a bit. I was upset and had intended on just walking away. But I turned around and look back at him. His eyes still furiously narrowed at me.

"I didn't cast a spell on you," I quietly said. "I'm sorry I make you feel that way."

With that, I turned back and starting walking as fast as I could home. I bit my lip and held on to everything I had so I wouldn't cry.

**A/N: Reviews are appreciated! **

**Also, if you haven't already, please check out my new story "Life After" It is my first Bella and Edward story. Let me know what you think!! Thanks again!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yay!! looks like everything is up and working!! Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews. You guys are great. Hope you like the next chapter. **

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It was an odd week. I had expected Lucas to avoid me like the plague but he seemed to be everywhere. Close enough to feel his presence and catch a random glance here or there. But never close enough for me to actually talk to him. I tried a few attempts to catch him, but he always managed to disappear. It seemed sort of silly when I thought about the boy who I had been so obsessed over was now conveniently stalking me. I was thrilled to walk down the city streets and during a slight change of the wind, to catch his scent. I couldn't help but smile, knowing he was somewhere out there watching me.

Classes with him were even more interesting. On Tuesday he showed up five minutes after the lecture started and took a seat right next to me. Max following right behind him. I was surprised and curious, wondering why he chose to sit by me. I desperately wanted to know if he planned on talking to me and whether he would bring up what happened on Sunday but he never said a thing. He never even gave me the slightest glance. He would lean back in his chair, slightly angled towards me while anxiously tapping his fingers on the corner of the desk. He would tap all through the lecture. I caught a few angry glares from the students. I was surprised that Max didn't say anything. It was relentless. Tap, tap, tap…. It drove me nuts. I tried to sigh loudly but he continued, maybe even a bit louder. The subtlety of my attempts was apparently lost on him. Tap, tap, tap… I played with the idea of driving my pencil into the back of his hand. It was obvious he was supernatural; he'd heal quickly enough, right? But instead I sat there being tortured by his relentless tapping. Ten minutes before class was up, he got up and walked out of the classroom. The teacher glared at him again as he walked out the door.

On Thursday's class, he again showed up five minutes after the lecture had started but without Max. He walked up the steps with determination and took a seat right next to me. Ten minutes into class, the tapping began again. This time I was ready pull out my hair. I glared at his hand willing his fingers to stop. Tap, tap, tap… I fantasized about breaking each of his fingers. That would make him stop. He must have known how absolutely annoying it was. I started to get angry when I came to the conclusion that he was doing it just to annoy me. I had reached my breaking point with his constant tapping. Without thinking I reached over and placed my hand on top of his hand to get him to stop. Suddenly he flipped his hand over, entwining his fingers with mine and he held my hand. And that is how we stayed the rest of class, holding hands. It was the happiest I had ever been, to be sitting here in class, holding hands with the mysterious man I loved so much. I must have had the silliest grin throughout the whole lecture. But again, ten minutes before class was over, he gave my hand a light squeeze before he got up and walked out. This time the teacher just ignored him, not even wasting the effort in shooting him a glare.

Throughout the rest of the week, I tried to find some answers or come up with some plausible theories of what Lucas could be. My best guess was that he was a real werewolf. That thought got me especially excited. I tried research but nothing I found was that helpful. I even turned to Wikipedia, which suggested identify a werewolf I should stab him and see if I could see fur in the wound. Considering the only time I got close enough to him was during class, jabbing him seemed out the question. I had hit a brick wall. I even tossed up the idea of him being a fairy. Although, I checked his ears and they didn't seem pointy at all. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if fairies had pointy ears. The only mythical creatures that I was well versed on were shape shifters and vampires.

On Saturday morning, I decided to accompany Jacob and Nessie to the suburbs to visit her parents, which she did every Saturday morning. I knew Carlisle and Esme lived in the same neighborhood and I wanted to see if I could get more information about werewolves. I was curious to see what they knew. I told Nessie and Jacob about my suspicions and they both seemed very interested in finding out if my theory was true. When Jacob told Edward, he invited Carlisle over that morning. All of them were excited at the possibility that I had made contact with a 'real' werewolf. They hoped that maybe I would be the one to help convince them to join our side.

"So you think he is a werewolf?" Carlisle asked.

"Well he is definitely not human," I said as I stabbed a piece of bacon with my fork.

We were all convened in the kitchen where Bella was making us a fairly large breakfast for just Jacob and me. She was always trying something to get on my good side. She thought I was still mad at her for playing Jacob all those years ago. Obviously I was well over it, especially with Nessie in the picture. I still thought she could have gone about things a bit differently, but it was in the past. Either way, I had never really attempted to make amends. I liked to think if the whole Edward and Jacob love triangle never happened, we would probably be really good friends. But it's nice to have someone feel like they need to get on your good side, especially when they make good food to do so. So I just never really bothered to say anything.

I looked over to Edward who was looking at me with eyebrow cocked. I smiled at him when I realized he had heard what I was thinking. I shrugged and took another bite of my bacon. _Yum! This is such good food._ I thought. _I'd be real upset if someone were to ruin a good thing I've got going over here._ I looked back at Edward who was now rolling his eyes.

Bella came to the table and set down a stack of French toast in front of Jacob and me.

"Thank you Bella," I said to say as sincerely as I could. "You always make the best breakfast."

She looked a little taken aback by my compliment. I rarely complimented anyone for anything.

"Um…you're welcome," she said hesitantly as she sat down with us at the table.

"What makes you think he is something else?" Edward asked, redirecting my thoughts.

I played a stream of memories in my head. The way his eyes looked so predatory when he stared at me in the dark corner of the club, the moment he confronted me in the alley-way where his hand had made a nice imprint in the brick wall, when he refused to let me pass and the broken window in my bedroom.

Edward nodded at me. I didn't really feel like going through all the evidence. Couldn't they just take my word on this and my suspicions about him?

"He accused me of being a witch. I remembered what you said about werewolves being involved with witches last Saturday. That's what I am drawing my conclusions on. Do you know any characteristics of werewolves? Anything that would help me identify one?" I asked Carlisle.

"It's pretty hard to identify them, especially considering they have been in hiding for such a long time. They were almost wiped out completely, so I can understand their hesitancy to even come forward in our mythical world. There really isn't a stand out characteristic that would help identify a werewolf. That may be their greatest defense. What I have heard, from other vampires who are old enough to remember, they look and smell just like humans. The only rumor is that they all have blue eyes….an almost silver blue. But that is something I heard from a friend of mine who was fortunate to only see one. It could have been just that one with blue eyes."

My heart started beating faster.

"Lucas smells just like a human and he has those same blue eyes you are talking about," I said leaning forward on the table.

"Have you thought about being upfront and asking him?" Jacob said with his mouth full of French toast.

"What a super idea Jake!" I said sarcastically. "I'll just pass him a note in class: Are you a werewolf? Check yes, no or maybe."

He shrugged his shoulders. "It was only a suggestion."

I wished it was that easy. If I ever got a chance to be alone with him, I don't know if I would really have the guts to ask. What if I was way off the mark? What if he had only asked me if he was a witch because he was watching The Craft and identified himself with Skeet Ulrich's character? I thought him accusing me as a witch would be more believable than me accusing him of being a werewolf. Maybe he thought I dabbled in Wicca!

"Leah has been having trouble keep a consistent dialogue between them," Nessie said in my defense. "He seems to be avoiding her yet stalking her at the same time. It's all pretty confusing."

I groaned. I really wasn't up to discussing my relationship problems…especially with Carlisle, Edward and Bella.

"I think it would be best if we let him move at his own pace and not confront him. It seems like he can't stay away from Leah, even though he is trying. He'll break…they always do," Carlisle said shifting his gaze from Edward and then to Jacob. "This imprint between Lucas and Leah may be the miracle we are looking for. It's kind of strange that our greatest alliance was formed due to an imprint. Maybe your ancestors were on to something, Jacob."

"All you need is love," Jacob said as he pulled Nessie into his arms and kissed her on her cheek.

~*~*~*~

"Turn the news on," Annabel said as soon as I picked up the phone.

I walked quickly to my living room and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. I had been spending the rest of my Sunday lounging around my home, doing laundry and getting ready for Monday.

"A horrific incident took place today down in the Brooklyn subway," the news reporter said. "The causes of the incident so far unknown but firefighters are working hard, still trying to put out a large and terrifying fire. Some onlookers have been suggesting that this may have been another terrorist attack but we have no evidence to confirm this theory. There was no explosion but the cause of the fire is still unknown. I am standing here with Jane White, who got off the subway just before this tragic incident occurred. Can you give us any insight in to what you saw or what you think may have happened?"

The reporter said turning to a woman who was visibly shaken. She was probably just coming to terms with how close she had come to death.

"I didn't see anything suspicious. I was coming off the train, at my stop and that was it. As I made my way up the stairs I heard loud, horrific screams and I tried to turn back and help. I don't know what could have possible caused them. I could hear them all the way above ground. Everyone could hear them. We just stood in silence. I tried…I tried to go down and help but a man stopped me. He wouldn't let me go down. Those poor people. I can't imagine what happened."

"Did you see anyone suspicious get on the train while you were getting off?"

"No, I didn't. I can't figure out what could have happened. It was just screams…loud screams," she continued and you could see the tears streaming down her face. "This city just isn't safe anymore. I can't bare to live here anymore."

I couldn't watch. I turned it off.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"We were too late. I was with Nessie and the Cullens. Alice didn't see it in time. There are just too many holes with all the different species now. We ran as fast as we could. There must have been ten of them. They drank from everyone on the train, no one was alive. By the time I got there, it was too late for any of them to be saved." She paused trying to compose herself. "If I just got there a bit sooner…I could have at least saved a few. But there was no light in them…. absolutely nothing. We had to start the fire. We couldn't let the public see the bodies…all drained of blood. It would have looked too suspicious. They have already found too many drained bodies. The demonic cult excuse can only last so long, it won't be long until they speculate anything further."

The tears dropped from my eyes and I watched them hit my thighs as I sat on the couch clinging to my phone in my ear.

"Leah…there were families…children on that train. It was horrible. It was worse than the ferry incident. It's getting harder and harder to stop them."

"What happens now?"

"We find them," she said definitely. "Everyone is going on patrol tonight."

~*~*~*~

I had been walking around the city for about three hours trying to pick up on something. I wanted to murder every single newborn I saw, whether or not they had anything to do with the subway incident. It was three in the morning the last time I had checked my watch. We had split up into pairs while I set off on my own. I missed patrolling in my wolf form. I felt more connected with the pack. We had to patrol in human form because the possibility of being seen as a wolf was obviously much higher living in the city. The only time we shifted was when we were going to fight.

I was walking by an abandoned building when I heard a very soft crying coming from inside. It sounded like a child. I made my way through the building, taking the stairs lightly so as not to make a sound. I gasped when I saw a little boy with curly dark hair; he must have been 8 or so, laying in the middle of the room.

"Hello?" I called softly to him.

He didn't stir and continued crying. He was curled up in a little ball, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Are you okay?" I made my way closer to him. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I moved cautiously, trying not to frighten him.

"Sweetie? What happened? Where are your parents?" I tried to ask questions hoping I could get him to respond.

I made my way to him and knelt on the floor. I gently stroked his shoulder trying to calm him down.

"Do you have a name?" I asked.

Slowly he turned his head to me and I gasped when I gazed into his crimson eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said with great remorse. "They made me do it."

It was trap.

"Who?" I asked my mind slipping in to panic mode. But before I could get an answer I was thrown up against the wall.

"Ughh…" I moaned. I looked up to see a woman with dark purple hair. A bright smile appeared on her face. She turned to the little boy.

"Good job Romeo. Maybe we'll let you live a bit longer."

The little boy quickly got up and scurried out of the building.

Fury over took my body and I started to feel myself violent shake. My clothes ripped from my body as I shifted to a wolf form. Seth and Paul were already in my head as I shifted. They were currently fighting other vampires across town. I let out a huge growl and began to lung at her. She stood there and laughed. Before I knew it I was gripped from behind by someone else and thrown against the other wall. I heard myself whimper as I realized that my shoulder was broken. I looked up to find the gleaming red eyes of five newborns. _Shit!_ There were too many for me to fight. I knew instantly I would not make it out of this alive. I could feel death was hovering over me. I just hope that they would make it quick.

_Leah!_ _We are coming to help you!_ I heard Seth yell to me.

I heard a loud howl and I knew it was Seth. He was trying to get all the others in the pack to shift and to help out. Soon there were more people in my head.

_Keep fighting, Leah…_

_You can't give up…_

_We are coming to get you…_

I tried hard to push myself up from the ground supporting most of my weight on my good paw. One of the newborns came a bit too close to my mouth and I took the opportunity to grab her hand with my teeth. I ripped it off with one quick bite. She screamed and with the other hand she back handed me. I felt my jaw crack. I tried to attack another newborn but one of them got me from my side. He picked me up and squeezed. I felt some of my bones crack. I howled at the pain. Then he threw me out the window. I felt my body hit the window hard as the glass shattered around me. I closed my eyes as I fell two floors down and landed with a large thump on the pavement. The pain was starting to overtake my body. I was too scared to look down to see what damaged was done. I felt the shattered glass from the window stinging in my body as it imbedded itself underneath my fur and into my skin. I laid there on the pavement with my eyes closed and tears starting to stream down my face. _Please…please just let it be fast. _I prayed to God.

_No!!!! Leah…no!!_ Seth screamed.

_Leah!!_ Jacob screamed with him.

They were all screaming my name. I couldn't help but smile. At least if I die, I know that I had died much loved.

_I'm so sorry,_ I thought.

_Don't say that!_ Quil yelled at me.

I heard a soft landing of feet in front of me. The male newborn who threw me out the window was standing above me laughing.

"Aww… poor puppy!" he said mockingly. "I'm going to enjoy killing you. I promise you it will be slow and as painful as possible."

I was losing consciousness. I could feel my eyes starting to feel very heaving. I closed my eyes again and waited for death. There was the sound of faint shuffling and then there was a painful groan…but it wasn't my own. I opened one eye and there I saw Lucas. He was holding the newborn from behind. His arm around his chest and the other one pull his head to the side. He quickly glanced into my eyes and I saw his eyes turn into that predatory stare again. I felt a chill run through me. Suddenly just his face morphed into a large wolf head as he bit down on the male's neck and tore him apart. _Hah!_ _I was right_, I thought lucidly. Then I then lost all consciousness.

~*~*~*~

"Leah?" A whisper said near my ear. "Leah? Can you hear me?"

There were still many voices in my head.

_Is that Lucas?_

_Are you okay?_

_We are trying to find you._ They all said but I was too weak to respond.

"Leah… I need you to phase back," the voice said again.

I looked down to the pavement that my body was now hugging. Everything hurt…everything was so painful. I saw my paw in front of me. I tried to concentrate and shift back. I moaned as I tried to change. Slowly I watched my paws slowly transform into my hand. I noticed the feeling all of the groves and small rocks of the cement on all five of my fingers. My eyes were still shut tightly, trying hard to concentrate on anything else but the intense pain. I whimpered as I felt my body being picked up. I could hear the shattered glass fall off my body as it hit the pavement. I wanted to just be left there. It hurt too much to be moved. The pain was severe and thankfully I slipped back into unconsciousness again.

~*~*~*~

I woke up to warm water hitting my body and the sound of water drumming against the tile floor. I was still in a lot of pain. I opened my eyes slightly and found myself in some sort of very big shower. A pretty blue tile surrounded the whole shower. I looked up to find two shower heads raining down on me. It took me a bit to finally register that I was being cradled in someone's lap. I recognized immediately that it was Lucas holding me. I cringed as I became aware of that I was very much naked and he very much was not. He held me tightly to him while sitting in the shower, his completely soaked jeans and shirt cling to his body. I felt his cheek rest on top of my head. He was picking the glass out of my thigh and wiping the blood away. Tears started to slowly fall down my face. I didn't know how if they were 'happy I'm finally in Lucas's arms' finally tears, or 'embarrassed to be here naked' tears or 'so thankful I'm still alive' tears. I sniffled and the hand that was cleaning me up suddenly became very still.

"Leah?" he asked as I looked up at him.

I didn't know what to say. I just looked up at him with eyes that hopefully read how thankful I was that he had come to save me. We sat there in silence, staring at each other as he pushed my wet hair out of my face. He rested his lips on my forehead for a moment and I felt a tear, not one of my own, fall on my cheek. Then he continued on to wipe the blood away as I drifted back to sleep again.

~*~*~

The next time I woke up, I heard voices talking near me. I was laying in a large bed. My body was still. I couldn't move at all.

"Thank you for your help, Mom," I heard Lucas say.

"Of course dear."

I felt someone sit beside me. I slowly opened my eyes to find a beautiful woman with the same blue eyes as Lucas staring at me. She caressed my face lovingly.

"You're going to be just fine, honey," she said quietly. "Lucas took good care of you."

She took out a needle from her bag and I watched as she filled the syringe.

"This is just a little something to help with the pain while you heal," she said as she put the needle in my arm. I was too weak to protest.

I started to feel myself slip back into unconsciousness. I couldn't fight my eyes from closing.

"She's a beautiful girl, Lucas," I heard her say.

"I know."

"When are you going to tell your father?"

"I don't know."

I felt her warm hand brushing my hair off my face. I started to miss my own mother.

"Wow…a shifter," she mused. "A female one at that. She may be one of a kind."

"She is."

I could feel her pull the sheets up as she tucked me further into bed.

"Well, she should be okay. Her body seems to be very much like our own. She'll heal fast."

"I thought I lost her," Lucas whispered.

"She will be fine. You got a second chance. This time don't let her go."

I could hear him sigh. I felt his mother get up from the bed and heard her make her way towards him.

"Oh Lucas. Everything will be fine. Don't worry so much about your father. Love always finds a way."

Then I began to dream.

**A/N: Please let me know what you thought. Reviews are definitely appreciated!!! Also, I wanted to mention again to check out my other story "Life After." I've been getting pretty good reviews for that story, just not a lot of interest it seems. Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello Everyone! Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. I really enjoy reading them! I can't believe how many I have already received for only 4 chapters. It's CrAzY!!! Thanks again to Courtney for looking over this chapter. You are super!**

**I also wanted to mention that I have gotten a few reviews stating that my werewolf mythology is different than what was stated in Breaking Dawn. Yes, I know that a werewolf can change a human into a werewolf by biting or that they only change at night. I've read what was written in breaking dawn. I'm asking you to please read the next couple of chapters (more so in chapter 6) as I explain what I think werewolves are like. This is my interpretation of what was said in those last chapters.**

**Hope you enjoy this next chapter! Let me know what you think!**

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I groaned as I rolled over to my stomach and stuck my head underneath the pillows. The sound of faint marching had woken me up. I pushed the pillow tightly against my ears trying to drown out the sound, but it wasn't working. _Marching? Why did I hear marching?_ I thought. _Had I left my TV on? Couldn't be…I don't have a TV in my room._ My eyes shot open. I wasn't in my room. I was in someone else's room. Last night's events streamed through my head at rapid fire. Even after everything that had happened, the pit of my stomach turned as I remembered and wished with all my heart to forget that Lucas had seen me naked. _Ugh…how embarrassing._ I squeezed my eyes shut as I willed myself to forget. It would have been nice to have had one normal conversation with the guy before he saw….everything. I slowly opened my eyes and looked down at my body.

"Oh, thank God," I whispered, relieved to see I had something on now, but frowned when I realized it wasn't much, just a blue silk nightgown. I cringed and hoped that I wasn't wearing something of an ex-girlfriend's. I would have preferred some sweat pants and a t-shirt instead. I slowly rolled over back to my back and pulled the sheets down to try and sit up. My body was still very sore. I looked over myself but only found healing cuts all over my arms and legs. My finger lightly touched the small pink line on my thigh. I remembered Lucas pulling out the glass from it. I shuddered at the thought of the revealing shower scene.

I looked around the room somewhat relieved to find myself alone. I was shocked as I realized how beautiful the room was. For some reason, this wasn't what I imagined Lucas's room to look like. I had pictured him for a minimalist, someone who would merely have just a bed and maybe a TV. However, I was in a large and lavish room with high ceilings. There was a stunning crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room. Gorgeous paintings hung perfectly over all the walls. I noticed the intricate designs on the large stain glassed French doors. The sun was coming down, shinning perfectly through the colorful glass that reflected off the chandelier and into the rest of the room.

I could still hear the faint sound of marching which seemed to be coming from outside. I wondered where the sounds of cars honking their horns and the screech of brakes from the buses, so frequently heard by the streets of New York City, were. How odd it was to only hear…marching.

I slowly pushed the covers and carefully swung my legs over. I cautiously placed my feet on the marble floor, bracing the cold chill of the floor since I didn't have socks on but was pleasantly surprised when I found it quite warm...like it was heated. My muscles ached as I tried to push myself to stand up. I let out a soft groan as I stretched them out. I hobbled slowly to the French doors, my fingers lightly grazing the elaborate carvings of the large four post bed. My right hip still felt very sore. I couldn't put that much weight on my right foot without a shooting pain coursing through my leg. Finally I reached the gold handles of the door and pressed down to open the door. The marching sound was louder. I made my way out onto the large stone balcony. I felt the heat sunny day and wondered briefly what time it was. I stepped on my tip toes trying to lean over the stone wall. I gasped at the sight. Where the hell was I?

It was as if I walked into a completely alternative universe. It was the twilight zone. What I saw below was a city - but not New York City. Below were hundreds of werewolves in complete form marching, on two legs, down the street. They were perfectly lined up and completely in sync when they marched to the beat. I held my hand over my mouth. It was an army. Each held a spear in one hand as the marched down the street, a thunderous sound erupting when they hit the ground with them.

"War is upon us," I heard a soft voice say close to my ear say. I could feel a breath on my neck. My breath hitched and I remained perfectly still. I felt a hand slowly graze down my back and then held lightly to the side of my waist.

"Where am I?" my voice trembling.

"My home."

I felt him press himself closer up against me. His intoxicating scent surrounded me and there was a warmth growing in the pit of my stomach. I tried to hold on to my thoughts before they become completely incoherent. He bent his head slightly down as his lips and his nose swept my cheek.

"What…where is home?" I stammered out.

"Far below the city."

I looked up at the dark sky, now that the sun has set. Slowly, the stars began to appear as if someone had thrown glitter up in the air and each one stuck to the sky. A bright half moon appeared out of no where. The stars were so bright and seemed so close, very unusual for a city sky.

"But you have a sky," I said.

"It was a gift."

"A gift?"

"Yes," he whispered as his lips skimmed behind my ear, the tip of his tongue tasting my skin. Chills went down my spin. I closed my eyes, trying to fight how unbelievably good it felt. I spun myself around and took a couple steps back. The wall of the balcony prevented me from stepping any further away. I couldn't think with him doing that to me. There were so many questions I wanted to ask and I needed a sober state of mind to ask them. When he touched me it was like my thoughts became fireflies and it was impossible to catch them with my net. His eyes narrowed to me. He was unhappy with the distance that I had created.

"A gift from whom?"

"The Salem Witches, the most powerful clan in the world. Long ago we signed an alliance with them, we allowed them to live in our secret city to keep them safe and as a gift of their gratitude they gave us a sky," he said as he took a step towards me, "When my brother was born, they created the moon for him and when I was born, they sprinkled the sky with stars as a gift to me."

I tilted my head up towards the sky. It was unbelievably beautiful. I couldn't imagine that even a desert sky could look as spectacular as this one. What a fairy tale place this was. I wanted to reach my hand up to the sky. The stars seemed close enough to touch .

"Does everyone get amazing gifts like this when they are born?" I said, smiling still looking at the sky.

"No, only sons of the king."

Immediately my gaze shot down and I looked directly at him.

"You don't have packs?" I was surprised to hear that these wolves did not run in packs. I assumed that maybe they would be somewhat like shape shifters, or at least the politics of it.

"No, we have kingdoms. There are many smaller kingdoms throughout the country, but this is the largest here. The only other that comes close to us is in Europe."

"Oh. So if your father is the king….." I trailed off, not sure if the truth was something I could really believe.

"That would make me the prince," he finished with a cocky smirk on his face.

I was speechless, not entirely sure how to respond to that. I was fighting the urge to tell him I was the beta in my pack, just to one up him, but I didn't think that would come close to being a prince. Especially considering that his brother was no longer alive, I assumed that he would be king in the future. Bragging about being a beta seemed slightly silly in comparison. I wanted to ask if he was to be king, but I didn't want to bring up painful memories of his brother.

I don't know how long I stood there in shock or in contemplation of the bombshell he had just dropped on me, but I found myself close against him, with both of his arms wrapped around my waist. His eyes met mine for a few moments, then dropped down to my shoulder.

"You heal fast…just like me," he said. He took his finger and lightly traced the fine pink line of a cut from last night that hadn't healed just yet. He slowly pressed his lips against my skin where his finger had been.

"What a beautiful creature you are," he murmured against my shoulder. "So warm…"

I let my hand move up to his neck and let my fingers lightly touch behind his neck. With my other hand I cupped his face and lightly pulled face to look into mine. I wanted to see those strikingly beautiful blue eyes. He slowly leaned down to me, resting his forehead against mine.

"Thank you…for last night," I said. Words could not express the gratitude I felt for him. I owed him my life.

"Stay with me tonight," he asked.

"I can't. I need to go home. My brother…the pack must be so worried about me..."

"I sent word. They know your okay."

"Do they know where I am?" I couldn't have imagined him telling them about this place. Technically I was still in the city.

"They know you are okay and you're safe with me."

He stepped away and motioned me to follow him back into his room. I limped my way towards him.

"Are you still in pain?"

"It will pass," I said. I hated to look weak.

Immediately he picked me up carefully and placed me on the bathroom counter. He handed few a few pills from his pocket and poured a glass of water from the sink.

"Tylenol really isn't going to cut it for me," I said as I bit my lip. This was the first time I actually made reference that I wasn't normal.

"They usually don't do anything for me either."

I looked down at the pills in my hand.

"My mother gave them to me last night to give to you if you were still in pain when you woke up. You won't feel a thing after you take them, but you get pretty drowsy after a few minutes," he said trying to sound reassuring.

I shrugged and tossed them in my mouth, washing them down with a sip of water. I looked back at him and caught his eyes grazing my body. I realized how short this night gown was and nervously tried to pull at the bottom of it hoping it would magically become longer. I felt the heat creep up against my cheeks as I noted that I didn't know why I was embarrassed for him to see everything, since he had pretty much seen it all last night. He stepped out of the bathroom quickly but before I could follow him out he came back in with a bag of clothes.

"I had clothes sent for you while you were sleeping. I didn't know what you liked, so I got a few choices."

He sat them on the counter and stepped out of the bathroom while closing the door behind him. I shuffled through the bags looking finally finding the sweat pants I was hoping for and a long sleeved t-shirt. I was ecstatic to find a toothbrush, as well as a hair brush in there. I dressed as quickly as I could and put the rest of the bags in the corner of the bathroom. Hopefully he could just return all the rest. I brushed my teeth and carefully combed my hair. There were still small bruises on my head.

I stepped out of the bathroom feeling much better and found Lucas sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I put the bag on the floor of your bathroom. Where would you like the nightgown?" I could have simply put it in the bag as well, but part of me was dying to know whose it was.

"It's my mother's. She brought it over last night. You can just leave it on top of the bag."

I was relieved.

"Please tell her I said thank you."

He nodded his head.

I walked slowly around his room, testing out my hip and was impressed the pain was gone. I could feel his eyes on me as they followed me around the room. The pictures on his desk caught my eye as I made my way to them.

"May I?" I asked.

"Please."

I looked at each one, with a small smile forming on my lips. There wascharming one of him as a young boy with his mother. She was kissing the side of his forehead. There was another one of him and his brother on a beach, their hair messy hair sticking up everywhere from the wind.

"Your brother?" I asked him carefully. I held the picture up to him.

"Yes."

"Close?"

"We were."

I left the subject at that.

I turned my attention back to the other photos. My eyes grew a bit wide when I noticed that there was one of me. I picked it up slowly and let my fingers trace my face. I didn't recognize the picture and tried to figure out where he could have got it. I studied the photo. I was looking at a book of some sort, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. The background was blurry and I was the only thing in focus. Then it came to me suddenly when I recognized my shirt. This was the day I had been in the book store, the day that Lucas accused me of following him. Well…well, looks like he had been following me first.

"You must think I'm the biggest hypocrite," he said.

I looked back towards him. He had a slight smirk on his lips. I nodded my head at him. _Yeah pretty much_, I thought.

"I'd be angrier if it wasn't such a good picture of me," I said jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood. His smile widened further revealing a set of perfect white teeth. I felt my heart skip a bit as I realized that this was probably the first time I had actually seen him smile.

A yawn escaped from me and I could feel my eyes feel a bit heavy. He motioned to come to him and I obeyed. He lifted the bed sheets while I crawled in. As my head hit the pillow, my eyelids were super heavy. I wasn't ready to fall asleep just yet. I tried so hard to fight the drowsiness. Lucas laid next to me, but on top of the covers. I wasn't winning the fight, when I felt him wrap his arms around me and bring me close to his chest. I felt his fingers lightly stroke my hair as I buried my face in his chest. It was the most pleasant way I had ever fallen asleep.

~*~*~*~

Instead of the sound of marching waking me up, it was the sound of many voices. Why were there so many people in Lucas's room?

"What time do you think she got back?" I heard a voice I recognized: Nessie's.

"I don't know. She was gone all day yesterday. I decided to just check this morning, hoping that she was back and I found her sleeping in her bed," another voice I recognized said. _Seth?_

"So you think she was with Lucas this whole time?"

"I guess so. We found a note tapped to our door yesterday morning saying that Leah was fine. That was it." _Who was that? Annabel?_ I thought. "Would it hurt to tell us where she was? Like the vague note was going to make us feel any better."

"I thought he may have kidnapped her or something," Seth said.

"Is she awake?"

My eyebrows furrowed together. I refused to open my eyes. Clearly I was not in Lucas's room anymore. I could feel my familiar bed sheets as I tried to hide further into the bed. _How did I get back home? _

I felt someone poking me in the shoulder.

"Leah?" I heard Claire say. "You awake?"

I groaned and tried to hide underneath my covers. I felt the poking again. They were never going to leave me alone. I slowly pulled the covers down from my face and opened my eyes. Everyone was in my room: Claire, Seth, Annabel and Nessie were sitting on my bed while Jacob and Quil were standing close by. I looked around, not sure how I got back here, all of the looking at me with curious eyes. Everything was starting to feel like a dream. I looked down at my clothes and I was still in the ones that Lucas had gotten for me. I was relieved: it proved that yesterday really did happen. I smiled.

Annabel all of a sudden ambushed me with a tight hug.

"Oh thank God your okay!" she said.

I hugged her back but was taken aback as I saw Claire and Nessie with tears falling down their cheeks.

"We thought we had lost you for good," Seth said as he was next to pull me in his arms. He hugged me very tightly. "I've been going crazy not knowing where you were or if you were okay. How come you didn't call when you got back?"

"The last thing I remember was I was with Lucas. He gave me something for the pain and I fell asleep and I woke up here."

I looked up at Jacob's face who seemed very distressed. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to me while Annabel made room. He rubbed his face with his hand, trying to wake the last bit of clarity he had left. I could tell he hadn't slept while I was missing. Nessie moved closer to him, rubbing his arm in comfort.

"He is a werewolf." he stated.

I'm sure that was one of the last images the pack saw before I lost consciousness. The image of Lucas's head turning into a wolf as he tore into that vampire's neck was one that was permanently burned in my brain now.

I nodded my head.

"Do you remember what happened that night?" Seth asked.

I took a deep breath. "There was a boy that I found in a building crying. When I found him, he was laying on the floor. I should have known it was a set up. I don't know why I hadn't caught his scent first…maybe they switched his clothes with a human's or maybe I was just so concerned for the boy I didn't notice. I wasn't expecting someone so young to have been a vampire. But then I saw his eyes and he apologized. Then I was attacked from behind. He was forced to be apart of the trap. I should have been more careful."

"This doesn't sound good. They are starting to set traps for us," Seth said.

"They are starting to hunt for us as we hunt for them," Annabel said.

"We need to find the boy. He could probably give us some insight into what they are planning," Quil added quietly.

"We need to save him. He is not with them out of his own free will," I insisted.

"Did you get any information about the werewolves?" Jake asked.

I wasn't sure how to respond. I found out many things but that only gave me more questions than answers. I started to wonder when the next time I would see Lucas. There were so many things I wanted to ask.

"They are prepared," I simply stated.

"Prepared?"

"For war."

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Also, I know that some of you check frequently to see when I'm posting the next chapter. I've decided to log my progress and news of when I'm posting the next chapters of my stories on my twitter. My twitter name is EllaRose00. **

**I'm going to be snowboarding this weekend and will be stuck in a car all day Friday. Please shoot me an entertaining message. 5 hours in a car with your family can be a bit much!! I'm hoping that I can borrow laptop and write during the drive.**

**Anyways…thanks again!! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! You guys are great. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Thanks again to Courtney!**

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I lounged on the couch all day after everyone had left. The only time I got up was to take a shower and to change into a different pair of sweats. After the constant drilling of questions by everyone, I was glad to finally get some time to myself. I tried as best as I could to describe what I saw of Lucas's underground world. Where was it? they asked. I didn't know. Why did only his head shift while the rest stayed human? I have no idea. Claire's face lit up when I mentioned the fact that he happened to be a prince.

"So does that mean that when you get married you would be a princess? Like Princess Leah? Just like from Star Wars?" she asked excitedly.

"Um…I think you're getting ahead of yourself," I said, wanting to change the subject. I couldn't even comprehend that far ahead.

"It's Princess Leia, honey," Quil said chuckling while he messed up her hair.

"Same thing, right?" Claire said with a confused expression.

I continued to shift through the TV channels finding nothing could capture my attention for more than 2 minutes. I was getting pretty hungry and started to debate on whether or not to order out or if I should cook. Feeling too lazy to cook I started to lean towards getting take out. Now it was a debate on what to order. Chinese? Pizza? I couldn't decide. As I pushed myself off the couch to head over to the kitchen where my many take out menus lived, I heard a knock on my door. My eyebrows furrowed as I paused to deliberate whether to answer it. No one ever knocked on my door. Everyone just walked right in. Curiosity got the best of me and I turned towards the door. I made it there easily as I was now one hundred percent recovered.

As I opened the door, I was delightfully surprised to see who I saw standing there.

"Well, well, well…look who decided to use the front door." I said with a smirk on my face.

"Wanted to change things up a bit," Lucas said with crooked smile on his face.

He stood there, casually leaning on my doorframe, with a large pizza in one hand, the other nonchalantly tucked in his pocket. It was the most casual I had ever seen him, in his slightly distressed jeans and a dark blue zip-up sweater with a white t-shirt peaking out.

"I thought I'd bring you dinner. Figured you would be staying in tonight and decided to invite myself over," he said.

I held the door wider for him, signaling with a wave of my hand for him to come in. As he stepped inside I looked out the door to find Max sitting in a running car staring up the path at us.

"Um…did you want your….friend to come in?" I asked not really knowing what to refer to Max as.

"Nah, he's fine out there. I'd like some privacy with you."

I closed the door and looked back at him.

"Is he your bodyguard or something?"

"Something like that."

Without another word he made his way to the kitchen. He walked through my home as if he had been here many times, which I was sure he probably had. I bit my lip, trying to contain my extreme happiness that Lucas was in my house. He placed the pizza on the kitchen island.

"I'd give you a tour, but I think you know where everything is," I said as I fished for plates and napkins. I placed them on the counter and found Lucas leaning against sink with his arms crossed, with a smirk on his face.

"So how did you know I was here?" he asked.

"Your scent…of course," I shrugged making my way over to the fridge. "Is Mountain Dew okay?"

"Yep."

I placed the cans on the counter top while Lucas put a couple of pieces of pizza on my plate.

"I figured you'd be a meat lovers girl. Was I right?" he said with a flirty smile.

I nodded my head as I made my way over to the kitchen table. I sat down and took a bite. I watch him take his seat and he also took a bit into his piece. We sat there for a moment just looking at each other across the table; both with curiosity in our eyes. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. I just didn't know where to begin. I studied him intently as he took a drink of his pop and set it back down on the table.

"Are there any other female shape shifters like you?" he said, breaking the silence.

"No…well, not that I know of." I took another bite of my pizza. I chewed slowly still staring back at him. When I swallowed I asked, "Are there many female werewolves?"

"Yes." He thought for a moment. "Can you shift as often as you like?"

"When the mood strikes," I said as casually as I could. "You?"

"Only fully during a full moon. Otherwise, just um… parts. Only pure bloods can change in the daylight."

"But I saw your army in the daylight. They were in full form."

"Well, if you remember the sky down there is artificial. Also, rules run differently in our underworld."

"Why?"

"Let's just say the air is a bit different down there."

I looked at him suspiciously, wanting him to explain further but as he took another bite of his pizza I realized he wasn't going to say anymore on the subject.

"Pure bloods?" I asked.

"They are werewolves by birth - not by being infected."

"Infected?"

"Yes."

"Are you a pure blood?"

"Yes, we are pretty rare. Only when two mates carry the werewolf gene can they produce an offspring. A human could not carry a were-baby, it would be fatal for both parties. How about you?"

"We can't infect anyone, it is only inherited," I said shaking my head.

"Interesting," he mused to himself.

The same question kept running through my mind. I tried to let it go but I decided that I just couldn't. I had to ask. I stared at the pizza in my hand. Why would they bite someone? What would be the motivation?

"Do you…crave blood?" I said in a whisper. I slowly raised my head and looked at him. His eyes pierced through me as if it that was the most ridiculous question and held up the piece of pizza in his hand. He took a large bite and chewed slowly then swallowed.

"Obviously not," he said sharply.

"But what would be the motivation to bite someone?"

"Leah, a long time ago, when there were many of us, 90% were an inherited race. We were very strong and fast. Each generation grew stronger than the rest. When there is more werewolf lineage in that person, the stronger he is. But during the attempted genocide of my people, we went into hiding. That's when we went underground. Our numbers were so small that the only way to sustain our kind was to infect others."

"Did those people want to be…infected?" I asked timidly.

His eyes narrowed at me and they became very dark.

"I am not always proud of my kind's history," he said slowly. "But we had to do what we did to ensure the survival of our species."

I nodded my head trying to think of anything to divert the conversation from going any darker. I drank my pop and set it down.

"What is your lineage like?" I was thankful that I found a different topic and hoping that this would make the mood a bit lighter.

"My family has the longest and the oldest lineage. We were one of the few blue blood families that survived the genocide. We are descendents of Valeria."

"Valeria?"

"Yes, she was the witch, part of the Salem clan. She is the reason why magic runs through our blood and it was she who started the war of vampires and werewolves."

My eyes went wide and I leaned into the table. I very much wanted to hear this story. I motioned for him to continue and he chucked at my enthusiasm.

"A very, very….very long time ago there was a beautiful woman. Most witches are beautiful, the aura that surrounds them is hard for anyone to ignore, though Valeria was particularly so. A vampire had fallen in love with her, his name was Caius." My heart stuttered as I recognized the name. Suddenly a memory flashed in my brain. Of Annabel who held him up in the air as he struggled during the last few minutes of his life.

"A werewolf, King Ariston had also fallen madly in love with her as well," he continued with a curious look towards me. I knew he had probably sensed the erratic beating of my heart. "King Ariston was my father's Grandfather. Now there was a time, where wolves and vampires lived amongst each other without bitter hatred. We stayed as far away from them as we could, though their venom is not poisonous to us and we cannot change from a bite, we still appeal to them like any normal human and they can drain us entirely if we are not strong enough to fight back.

Long story short, Valeria chose Ariston which ignited the first war. Caius was enraged that she had chosen a werewolf over a vampire. He had come to the castle to sway Valeria to run off with him. But his jealousy reached considerable heights when he had found out that Ariston had changed Valeria to a werewolf and she had given birth to their first child. Caius challenged King Ariston to a battle. Just one on one. King Ariston met him outside the palace gates, this was when our palace was above ground. Though Valeria begged him not fight, King Ariston was a very proud man and would not back down from the challenge. It was a fight that lasted for 3 days and on the last day, it was Caius who won...barely. Of course Valeria was completely destroyed by the loss of her true love. She ran out and killed herself in front of Caius, as she spat to him that she hated him. It was then that Caius made a promise that he would destroy every last werewolf he could find."

"How did she kill herself?" I asked softly.

"With a silver bullet and a gun that she held to her head."

"Silver bullets are fatal to you?"

"No, silver bullets that are laced with a spell are."

I watched him as he took a sip of his drink. He paused for a moment, looking at the table.

"Caius would have succeeded. Now we are very difficult to find as we tend to blend pretty easily with the human race. Caius seemed to have a gift of knowing exactly what you were. He could see a person and know if they were a werewolf, a fairy or a witch. That is why we hid underneath the city before we became extinct."

"The witches?"

"They were afraid of the vampires, afraid that they would use them for their powers. The witch community had not been happy about Valeria's choice to become a werewolf, but a baby had been born. It was both sides duty to protect the child, especially as the only heir to throne. An alliance was made between us and we promised to protect them and let them live underground with us. It has only been till last 10 years we felt it was safe to come up to the surface. " The mental flash of Caius's death popped into my head again. I felt the need to tell him - ask him if he knew of Caius's demise but I felt that would lead into more questions I wasn't quite ready to answer just yet.

"And the magic in your blood? Does it make you very different from most?"

"Stronger…" he trailed then flashed his gorgeous smile, "I may have a few magic tricks up my sleeve."

I smiled back at him, biting my bottom lip flirtatiously.

"So what is your….um…lifespan? Are you immortal?" I asked not knowing exactly how to word it.

"Yes, till I decided to pass over to the other side."

"Wait a minute…you decided when you're going to die?"

"Yes, then we begin to age. How about you?"

"Immortal till I stop shifting for a length of time."

I quickly fantasized about spending centuries upon centuries with him. I could have forever with him.

"How old are you?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Let's just say you are practically a baby compared to me."

I snorted.

"What about you? What is the history of your kind?" he asked.

I went described as best as I could the history of our tribe, the theory that it was the presence of vampires that seemed to spark the shape shifter gene to reappear after a few generations of showing no sign of transformation. As I talked, he looked at me with wide eyes, nodding his head as he took everything in. I didn't mention the Cullen's or our strong ties with them. I had also avoided the whole topic of imprinting as well. I wasn't sure how to bring it up. I don't know how long I talked but soon there was no pizza left.

"There was another reason why I came by today," he said suddenly.

"Oh?"

He leaned over the table to quickly pull out an envelope out of his back pocket. He slid it across the table. I picked it up, admiring the beautiful invitation. The card was decorated in gold and blue trim.

"It's to a charity event, one of the biggest my family throws. My parents will be attending, which is a rare event in itself. Usually they just send me. I wanted to ask you to accompany me as my date."

"Are you asking me to meet your parents?" I said with a smirk on my face.

"Well…should our paths cross during the night, yes I would introduce you to them," he said as his lips curled into a smile. "I'll send a car for you at 9?"

"Yes."

His smile became more pronounced and I saw the glimmer of his perfect white teeth. His eyes seemed a bit brighter. Tonight was the most times I had seen him smile. When he smiled, he seemed warmer and not so dangerous.

"Well, I should go and let you get some sleep," he said standing up slowly.

"Okay," I followed his lead hoping that my disappointment wasn't that obvious. I walked as slow as I could hoping to prolong his stay as long as I could.

He headed for the door and opened it up before turning back at me. I hadn't wanted him to leave yet…or ever. His fingers lightly stroked the side of my arm.

"What is it about you that makes me never want to leave your side?" he asked silently.

I tried to look away. I knew exactly what it was but I wasn't ready to share that information. I wanted to enjoy the present bliss before it could possibly be taken away. I was terrified that once he knew, he would be angry - if he felt as if he had no choice.

I felt his lips brush against the top of my head and slowly lead themselves to kiss the corner of my eye. He lifted my chin and looked me straight in the eye.

"You know why, don't you?"

I looked back at him with sad eyes. I wasn't ready yet, my eyes said to him.

"Just promise me that you won't disappear."

I nodded my head. He gave me a small, light brush of his lips on my cheek and headed out the door to the waiting car. I saw Max look up at Lucas and start the car. I watched him step into his car and waited from him to drive off. I closed the door behind me thinking about tonight. How weird it was to of had a prince in my house.

~*~*~*~

I looked into the mirror and I didn't recognize the face that looked back. A face with memories and feelings I did not own. My eyes were a bright silver blue and my black hair fell down my back in loose curls. I had the most beautiful face I had ever seen. My lips were full and my light olive skin seemed to shimmer as the light through the windows reflected against me.

A soft cry caught my attention. It was coming from the white bassinet next to my bed. I walked over to find the cutest child with bright blue eyes. I picked up the baby, cradling him in my arms and lightly rubbing his back trying to sooth him. Soon enough, the child was fast asleep in my arms. As I place the baby back in its cradle I looked up to find a reflection of a handsome man in the mirror looking at me. I spun around the find the man looking at me with painfully sad eyes. His hair was unusually light for the color blonde and it laid beautifully down to his shoulders. I felt my body resisting the urge to run my fingers through it as I had seemed to have done so many times before. I recognized the man and I instantly wanted to turn around and run, but my body wouldn't let me. This body didn't belong to me.

"Caius?" I spoke.

I felt my body move towards to him. It was moving against my will, speaking without my consent. I was merely a visitor along for the ride in this body.

"You've chosen?" he said softly.

"Yes…" I trailed. "Because you left and because he was the one who saved me from myself."

"I had to leave, Valeria. I didn't do it to because I wanted to. I did it to save you from me," his voice became more distressed.

"So what changed now? Why are you fighting for me now?" I could feel my body getting angrier. My heart was beating faster and my face was feeling hot. My body did not tremble like usual when I felt this emotion.

"Because I don't have it in me to stay away anymore."

He reached out for me but I flinched away. I took a step back.

"I have no more feelings for you. For every day…every hour that you were gone, the love I had for you became replaced with _hate_," I spat.

Anger replaced the sad look in his eyes. I gasped as he grabbed my arms and pulled my close to him in remarkable speed.

"I was going to give up _everything_…for you!" I screamed. I could hear my baby starting to cry. "I hate you! Let me go!"

He pulled me tighter against him, pressing himself against me.

"I won't let you go," he said in a very dark voice in my ear.

His arms encircled around my waist and I felt my body involuntarily react to him. Immediately I was molded against him. I could feel myself fighting against it, trying not to feel what I did towards this man. It was tearing my insides up.

"La tua cantante…" he murmured in my ear.

His words angered me instantly. I felt myself shove him forcefully off of me. I watched him fly back and hit the wall. I stood there surprised. I apparently was not use to my new body, especially my new strength.

"No! Not anymore!" I shouted at him.

I watch him straighten himself out. He too was surprised by my strength. I had always been much physically weaker than him.

"It no longer sings for you," my voice growled sounding very shaky and very resentful.

~*~*~

I woke up sweaty and my heart beating out of my chest. It had been a dream. I sat up on my bed, panting, trying hard to catch my breath. I looked at my clock. It was 4:37am. I tried to shake off the dream but it seemed too real. It was as if I had just relived exactly what had happened so long ago. The faint sound of cars driving by my home made me feel a slight bit of comfort, reassuring myself that what I dreamt wasn't my life and wasn't real.

I slid back down into the covers, pulling them tightly against me. I couldn't shake the emotions that I had felt through Valeria. It was immense pain and anger tearing inside her. She hated Caius as much as she loved him. I couldn't get over at how identical her story seemed to be to Bella's. Only that time she had chosen the wolf. I wondered if Caius had identified with Edward and Bella's relationship – it was truer to his own than I would have thought possible. Maybe resentment rang much deeper in him then what we were aware of.

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**A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Also if you're looking for something else to read please read my new story Life After. Thanks again!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So some have asked if The War was cast who the actors would be. So here is my list so far: **

**Lucas Westcott - ****Ian Somerhalder**

**Leah Clearwater - ****Jordana Brewster**

**Tabatha - Yvonne Strahovski's– 18 year old version**

**Annabel - ****Kristin Kreuk**

**What do you think?? This is my cast but by all means, I'm sure most of you may think of someone else as Lucas or Leah so feel free to imagine them as whoever you would like. Thanks again for following this story. I apologize for the lateness of this next chapter. Please forgive me! I will try not to post so late this time.**

* * *

It was a beautiful, sunny day today. The weather matched my mood perfectly. I was walking on air as I made my way to my class. I was having one of those rare days where everything went right: no line at Starbucks, I found a twenty dollar bill left in my jean pocket and the homeless man that I pass every day said I was looking good instead of asking for spare change. There was a definite skip to my step.

I made my way up the steps of the building that held my class. I looked at my watched, noticing that I had arrived to class a bit earlier than what I expected. Walking down the hall, my ears perked up when they picked up on Lucas' voice. A smile couldn't help but form on my lips, happy to see he had beaten me there.

"No, Max. I made my decision," I heard him say. Immediately I slowed down my steps, walking carefully, trying not to make a sound. I never really mean to eavesdrop on conversations but it's near impossible when you have my good hearing.

"You can't keep avoiding him. He has been requesting you all week," I heard Max say.

"I know."

"Lucas, I'm just trying to understand. I mean…what is it about this girl?"

"Please…just drop it," he urged.

"What about your people? What about your duty to them?"

I stopped by the door waiting for him to respond. My heart slowly began to drop and guilt started to wash over me. Was he avoiding his father because of me? The last thing I wanted was to be the one creating a rift in his family or his obligations. I started to feel the forecast of rain coming in on my great day. I waited for a minute but when I realized that Lucas wasn't going to respond, I decided to open the door and stepped in. I looked up at the seats and saw Lucas smiling, so brightly at me, gesturing towards the empty chair next to him. I grinned back. It seemed that my sun wasn't going anywhere today after all.

I made my way towards him and took a seat at the desk.

"Hey," he said to me as I sat down.

"Hey," I responded back.

I looked over to Max who was eyeing both of us with very concern and confused eyes. Lucas noticed my attention to his friend.

"Um…this is Max. Max this is Leah," Lucas said.

I reached over Lucas's desk and held out my hand to shake. He gave it a small shake back and slightly nodded to me without saying a word. I gave him a timid smile back. It was obvious that he had some sort of reservation about Lucas and me. I started to fidget a bit with my pencil as the silence was making me nervous. I took out one of my notebooks and started doodling in the corner. Students started to filter into the classroom, chatting amongst themselves. I felt a set of eyes on me and I slowly turned my head towards Lucas to find him staring back at me. He reached over and wrote on the corner of my notebook.

_Skip? _

I shook my head. I wasn't letting him get his way that easily.

"Really? Economics is that interesting?" he said as he spoke quietly to me, leaning his body towards me.

"I find it incredibly fascinating," I lied flashing him a flirty grin.

"Sure you do."

He turned back to the front of the classroom with a cute frustrated look on his face. I bit my lip to prevent myself from forming a full on smile. He sighed and turned back to me.

"We're ditching," he stated.

I cocked my eyebrow to him.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Either leave with me now willingly or… I'll drag you out."

I snorted. "Yeah, that'll be the day." No one told me want to do.

I reached down and pulled out my economics book. I slowly put it on my desk and opened it up, cementing the decision that I planned on staying for class. I looked back and gave him a challenging smile. He looked back at me with a look of madness in his eyes. I'm sure no one had ever told him no before. I went back to my book, trying to look at least slightly interested in what I was reading.

"Leah…" he said very quietly. I inclined my ear to him ever so slightly, my eyes still very much focused on my book. "I'm not joking."

"Really?" I causally said as I turned the page of my book.

Before I knew it I was picked up and hanging over Lucas's shoulder as he made his way down the stairs.

"Lucas! Let me down," I yelled, hitting his back with my hands.

"Yeah… I don't think so."

I looked up to a classroom of students watching this scene. Some were amused, some annoyed and maybe a few were jealous. One face in particular caught my attention for a moment as Lucas just about made it out the door with me. It was Max, his face mixed with disappointment and worry. I placed my hands over my face trying to hang on the least bit of decency I had left. I kept my face hidden even when I felt him place me back on my feet. I groaned when I felt him tug my hands away from my face. I shook my head and turned my back to him.

"I can't believe you just did that," I said.

"In all fairness Leah, I gave you warning."

I felt him come up from behind me and wrap his arm around my waist.

"You're not upset are you?" he asked.

"Slightly."

"I only wanted to have you for myself today," he charmingly said as he leaned down into my ear.

I turned around to him, his arms never letting go, to look at him. I saw his beautiful smile; easily erasing why I had been upset in the first place. He pulled me closer to his body and a kiss on my cheek and then on my neck.

"Are you still mad?" he mumbled against my neck as he tickled the sides of my waist. I pushed him away and leaned up against the wall of the school hallway.

"Yes." I wasn't.

He walked over to me and tried to wiggle his way closer to me but I pushed him back away. His eyes got tense again.

"I don't…I'm not use to…." He struggled. "Just…come and spend with day with me."

I bit my lip and looked up at him. He looked so delicious today. The way his jeans hung just right ever so slightly below his hips, that seemed to only be held there by a belt and the way his preppy green Ralph Lauren sweater snug tightly against his chest, it was hard to stay mad. He was more than gorgeous, more than beautiful…he was dangerously sexy. He shoved his hand in his pocket with the other scratching the back of his neck. I knew very well I would have done anything he asked. It was just much more fun to put up a fight.

"What about my books and my bag?" I asked.

"Max will get them."

I paused for a moment to keep him sweating.

"Well, if I'm skipping class. It better be for something good," I tried to act nonchalant.

My favorite smile returned as he held out his hand out for me to take it.

"I promise it'll be good," he said as I placed my hand in his. "Today will be the best day of your life."

~*~*~*~

I found myself in Time Square following Lucas through the crowded sidewalks. I was holding his hand, trying to keep up as he pulled me along as he walked with determination. I stopped abruptly when I realized I was standing outside of the Viacom building, also known as the home of MTV. As Lucas felt me tug his hand he turned around with a confused expression.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Taking me to TRL wasn't what I imagined being part of my best day ever."

"Well…one I wasn't planning on taking you TRL, two TRL has been cancelled for quiet some time and thirdly…any day with me is your best day ever." He shot me a cocky smile while I rolled my eyes. He gently tugged my hand urging me to follow. We walked through the revolving doors and rode up the escalators. I slightly paused at the security guards as we made our way pass the bank of elevator doors. I was wondering if he was going to stop us, but they let us through with a polite nod to Lucas. An empty elevator door opened and Lucas led me in with his hand on my back. I watched him press a series of numbers and then felt the elevator pull us down. It was then I figured out then where he was taking me.

"You have to be kidding me," I said leaning against the side of the wall with my arms across my chest. "This is utterly ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?"

"Yes. You're telling me that the way to get to your secret underground world is through the elevators in the Viacom building?"

"I don't really see how this is ridiculous. What did you expect? Jumping down a sewer, ninja turtle style?"

I shrugged my shoulders. It was actually exactly what I was thinking. A silent few minutes passed and I was wondering when this ride was going to stop. Before I could ask how much longer it was going to be I felt the elevator falling faster.

"Almost there," he said with a grin.

I held my breath as I heard the quiet ring announce that we arrived at our destination. The doors of the elevator opened into the streets of a downtown city. I took in the sight for a moment before I felt Lucas reach for my hand to pull me along. It was beautiful. It looked like any other small city I might have visited, but somehow, and I couldn't place it, different…wonderfully different. The streets were lines with different types of boutiques, restaurants and stores. There were no big box retailers…no Target, no Walgreens or Best Buys. Rather than cars filling the streets; only golf carts, bikes and Vespas rode through them. I watched the people walk by us as, each smiling and nodding their head towards Lucas and in turn he did the same to them. I was taken aback at how everyone treated Lucas. I'm not sure what I had expected. I only knew that Prince William could never just walk to streets of downtown London without causing some sort of hysteria. Everyone here was cool, saying hi as if he was just another one their friends.

"Lucas!" I heard two giggling children running towards us. "Prince Lucas!" They ran underneath our hands that were still holding, jumping in front of us.

"Hey guys," Lucas said with an apologetic smile as his eyes met mine briefly.

"Who's your friend?" the blonde hair boy said.

"Yeah… who's your friend Lucas?" the red hair boy with freckles repeated.

"This is Leah," he said to them and turned back to me, "And this is Braxton and Jet."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled awkwardly.

"Leah, do you like soccer?" Braxton asked without missing a beat.

"Um… sure."

"I'm awesome at it," he stated proudly.

"You're such a liar, Brax! Just because the ball accidentally ricocheted off your head and into the goal, does not make you an awesome soccer player," Jet said as he slightly nudged him in the arm.

"It wasn't by accident, Jet. I head butted it in there!" Braxton nudged him back. "Prince Lucas, you should have been there. It was wicked awesome!"

"Sure it was," Jet rolled his eyes.

I watched Lucas laughed at the exchange that was taking place.

"It was!" Braxton yelled and punched him in the arm.

"Punch me again and you're going to be sorry!" Jet yelled back.

"Guys, you wouldn't want to get into a fight in front of Leah, especially when you just met her right?" Lucas asked.

"Right Lucas," Jet said apologetically as they both nodded their head. But then Braxton punched Jet in the arm again and took off running down the street laughing. I watched as Jet caught up and before he pounced on him his head and his hands shifted into a werewolf. I gasped thinking he was going to hurt Braxton. My heart just about stopped. I heard Lucas laughing and I turned to find him looking at me.

"They're fine, Leah. Just horsing around," he stated trying to reassure me.

I looked back to the two boys to find Jet licking the side of Braxton's face, just before he took off running again.

"Eww!! Gross!" Braxton moaned loudly as he wiped his face with his arm and took off running to catch Jet.

I laughed as my heart began a steady beat.

"Wow…that just…caught me off guard," Not knowing exactly how to word what I wanted to say. "Usually when I shift it means I'm ready to fight… like seriously tear someone apart fight."

"I guess I can see that. Especially if your emotions help ignite the shift," Lucas said as he pulled my hand to follow him.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"To meet a really good friend of mine."

"A best friend?"

"Of sorts."

"Is Max a best friend too?"

"Um…no. I mean, he is a friend…now. But really he was just hired help in the beginning."

"So why do you need a bodyguard?" I tugged his hand wanting him to answer me honestly this time.

He stopped to turn around and looked at me. I raised both eyebrows at him waiting for an answer.

"Leah," he sighed. "I'm the last heir to the thrown. If something should happen to me…."

I looked at him waiting for him to continue. His eyes got very dark and stood closer to me.

"Let's just say that the war against the vampires would not be the only war my people would have to worry about."

He turned around and started to pull me along again but I wouldn't move. I didn't understand and I needed him to explain more.

"Who else would you be at war with?" I said trying to hold my ground. He sighed when he realized I wasn't going to let this go.

"Other werewolf packs. When the royal line becomes eliminated, that begins the fight to the death for which leader will take over. Anyone can challenge for the spot, even other Kings from different clans. There are many packs who want control in this area. We have an alliance with the witches and we have a whole city underground. There are not many who are as large, wealthy and secure like ours."

I nodded my head in understanding and let his arm wrap around my shoulders.

"Anymore questions before we continue?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Are you going to come with me willingly now?"

I nodded my head.

We continued to walk through the streets and rounded the corner. It opened up to a large park. There were many people who were enjoying this area. The fake sun beamed brightly down on everyone as the enjoyed the afternoon. I wonder if they ever make it rain down here sometimes. It would drive me nuts if the weather was the same day after day. Lucas continued to lead me around the large fountain that kids were playing at and the mothers trying desperately to keep dry. There were restaurants and cafés that surrounded this small park, all of them out in the open, with only a few awnings. A small amusement park could be seen in the far corner of the park.

"So who is this best friend of yours?" I asked.

"Tabatha."

A girl? I thought.

"Is she… like you?"

"Nope. She's a witch."

He continued to shuffle me along while I mused for a while that the name Tabatha seemed like pretty perfect name for a witch.

"Are witches immortal?" I asked.

"No, their lifespan is the same as a human."

I didn't say anymore as I we approach an outdoor café/bar of sorts with a sign that hung above that said 'The Cauldron.' A pretty girl was working hard behind the bar. When she spotted Lucas she gave him a quick wave and held her finger up to tell him it would be a minute. She looked busy as she tried to push her stray hairs that were falling out of her ponytail behind her ear while mixing and pouring drinks at the same time. We took our seats at the far end of the bar waiting for her to finish with her customers.

"Hey Lucas," she said as she made her way over.

"Tabatha. This is Leah," he said gesturing to me. "Leah. This is Tabatha."

"Hi," I said as I smiled at her as she smiled brightly back. She had a sort of glow around her. It drew you in, making your body unconsciously lean into her. I was surprised to find myself instantly liking her…very much, like I wanted her to be my new best friend. It must have been the witch aura that Lucas had talked about. Usually it takes me quite some time before I can get comfortable with someone.

"So this is Leah? The shape shifter?" she asked.

I nodded my head as she reached her hand to shake mine.

"I've never met a shape shifter before," she said.

"I never met a witch."

She leaned forward to ask, "So can you change it to anything you want?"

"Um…yes. I don't shift into many different kinds of animals that often. I usually tend to stick with just one."

"Like what?" she prodded even more.

"Usually I'm comfortable with as a wolf but I did a panther once and a bear."

Her eyes lit up as she nodded her head.

"That would be amazing to see!"

Hoping that she wasn't going to ask if I could show her, I tried to change the conversation to her.

"Do you cast spells?" I countered.

She shrugged her shoulders. "On occasion."

I felt my eyebrows rise, curious at what types of spells one might cast.

"Do you want to see a magic trick?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

I turned to Lucas who was nodded his head at me with encouragement. I looked back, nodding my head, urging her to continue. I watched as she rubbed her hands together fast. She blew on her right hand and then reached behind my ear. I couldn't help the frown that formed on my face when she "magically" pulled a shiny coin out of my ear. The same magic trick my father would perform when I was young. I could hear Lucas laughing.

"Impressed?" Tabatha asked.

"Um….not really," I couldn't help but be frank.

"Honest. I like her Lucas," she said turning to Lucas laughing.

She placed the coin on the bar as she laid her finger on it. She looked back up on me.

"Ready?" she asked. "Watch closely."

I nodded my head for her to continue.

She pressed her finger on the coin and I watched it slowly melt into a small puddle. The puddle began to boil on the bar surface and then began to form, manipulating itself into two small dancers, only 5 inches in height. The danced across the table and then back to us before melting back into a coin.

That was pretty cool," I said. "Probably the first magic trick I have ever truly been impressed with."

"Well today seems like a day of firsts. A drink to celebrate?"

I looked at Lucas, not sure what to order.

"She'll have a full moon," he said. I bit the side of my mouth trying hard not to crack up. Really? The Cauldron? A drink called a Full Moon? I thought.

"You guys sure know how to cheese it up here," I said as they both laughed.

"What's kind of life is it if you can't make fun of yourself?" he said.

"One Full Moon coming up and Lucas, the usual?" she asked.

Lucas nodded his head and turned back to me. He smiled as he took my hand giving it a light squeeze.

"This place is…" trying to think of the best word, "…amazing."

"Yeah, it's a great place to live."

"Why would you even want to go to the surface? I would be just fine staying down here forever."

"Actually, not many people down here have actually ever been to the surface. Tabatha being one of them. Unfortunately for me, what happens on the surface unfortunately affects what happens down here."

I watched Tabatha coming back with drinks, setting them down in front of us. Lucas had some sort of beer that I had never heard of and my drink was blue with a cloudy clear liquid swirling around. I held the martini glass up taking a closer look. It was pretty but didn't look at all that appetizing.

"Um…you should be careful with that drink. It's pretty strong," Tabatha said as she observed my hesitancy towards drinking it.

"Oh, don't worry. Alcohol doesn't affect me at all," I said.

"Leah, remember things are a bit different down here," Lucas said a bit cautious now as if he wasn't sure if that was the best idea to order me that drink.

I shrugged it off and took a sip. It was tasted like candy, a bit sour but with a strong alcoholic after taste. I had never tasted anything this strong before. My lips puckered up and I could hear Lucas chuckling. I rolled my eyes and took a larger sip this time. I could feel my insides getting a bit warmer and I could feel my cheeks flush a bit. All of sudden I felt this wave of contentment and happiness was over me. I grinned widely at him. All of a sudden I was absolutely pleased that I was with him and relished the fact that he seemed to want me here with him too. I had never felt this happy before. All of those years I had felt so alone…the blackest sheep amongst the black sheep. But now I felt whole and complete. Like I found a place where I fit and absolutely tickled that it was with next to Lucas.

Out of nowhere I started to giggle. I didn't know if it was because I was just so unbelievably happy or if it was because of my drink. The harder I tried to stop giggling the more I started to laugh. I looked at Lucas who joined in on the laughing as he was finding my uncharacteristic behavior amusing.

"I told you it was pretty strong," Tabatha said laughing as well. "She's this giggly? After one drink?" She mused to herself.

"Tabatha," A man down on the other side of the bar called for her raising his empty glass in the air. She rolled her eyes and went over to fill his drink. I looked back at Lucas whose excited eyes were glued on me.

"Are you happy?" he asked.

"Undeniably so."

"Me too."

~*~*~

The rest of the day went on with us hanging out at The Cauldron. We talked and laughed, while we drank and eventually ate. I observed the people around us, all of them in high spirits, enjoying each other's company. Lucas was right; it was turning out to be one of the best days ever. After Tabatha's shift had ended, she sat down with us and relayed some embarrassing stories of Lucas.

"You know, Leah, when I was a little girl I had the biggest crush on Lucas," she said while shaking her head and Lucas laughed along with her. "I grew up in this bar, my family owns it. I spent nearly every day of my childhood here. Anyways, every day I would hope that Lucas would come in. When he did he would pick me up and prop me right up on this bar. Do you remember all the stories you use to tell me, Lucas?"

"Vaguely," Lucas said looking at her as if he was trying to remember the time that Tabatha was a little girl. "That crush only lasted for a month, until Julian came in."

"Julian?" I questioned.

"My older brother."

I looked at both of them as their expressions instantly changed to sadness and longingly. Tabatha tried to put a smile back on her face.

"I still remember the night I knew he was the one for me," she said.

I watched Lucas cock his eyebrow at her. "Tabatha, you were 9."

"Hey, when you know…you know." She turned back to me. "We use to have karaoke night here and well I'm sorry to tell you this but Lucas is a horrid singer. Even though he claims he is better after a few drinks, don't believe him. Don't let him anywhere near a microphone. It's just _awful_."

"Thanks Tabatha," Lucas interjected and I laughed.

"Just warning her, Lucas. Anyways, his brother, Julian got up there and let me tell you, he was amazing!"

I laughed as I watched her eyes danced excitedly as she told her story.

"And that was when I fell in love."

I could hear Lucas chuckling. "I remember that night. You were bouncing in your seat as if you were teeny bopper worshiping their teen idol. After that night, I was no longer your favorite."

Tabatha simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I have no doubt in my mind that if he was here now, he would have fallen madly in love with me eventually. He would have never been able to resist me now that I'm older," she said.

Lucas laughed a bit more.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom," he said as he got up and made his way still chuckling all the way there.

I looked back at Tabatha, thankful for Lucas giving me some time with her alone so I could ask her the questions I was too afraid to ask Lucas.

"What happened to Lucas's brother?"

"Murdered by a vampire. Lucas saw the whole thing," she said softly. She reached for my hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Leah, I just wanted to let you know that since you came into Lucas's life, it's the first time I've really seen him smile since his brother's death. They were very close and well…Lucas hasn't been the same since."

"How did you handle it?"

"I don't know, I guess I never grieved… never really believed he was gone. This may seem weird but in my heart I feel like he is still out there. Somehow I just know he is alive. Maybe its just useless and pathetic hope."

"Always trust you instincts," I said as saw Lucas coming back.

~*~*~*~

We sat lazily on the steps next to each other on the steps of the fountain in the center of the park. I could still hear the faint music coming from the band, playing old 40s big band music. We watched the magic sky slowly turn from day into night. The stars once again sprinkling the night like glitter dust thrown in the air. I saw a few kids run around playing flashlight tag with no qualms about their parents worrying about them being alone or strangers snatching them away.

"This place…is just… wow. I could stay here forever," I said as I leaned back, resting against my arms.

I watched Lucas sit up and turn to face me. His face suddenly became very serious.

"Could you? Stay here forever?" he asked.

My smile faltered a bit when reality set in the first time tonight. "I would love nothing more but to stay here forever. But unfortunately I have obligations up on the surface… to my pack."

He nodded in understanding, grazing his finger on my arm sending shivers through me.

"One day," he said absolutely sure of himself.

I didn't argue as I wished with all I had that he was right.

"I love how kids can run freely here, even at night without any worry," I said as I watched a little girl with pig tails chasing a boy trying keep her pet frog in her hand and a flashlight in the other.

"There is no crime here. There is nothing to worry about. Kids can play freely. A parent's only worry is their children's first love getting out of hand."

"It's perfect."

The little girl with frog tripped, forcing her to let go of the frog that quickly leaped away from her and left her crying after she fell to the ground. I watched the little boy turn around to run after the frog catching quickly then making his way back to her with a serious concern in his eyes as he bent down to check if she was okay. He handed her back the frog as he inspected the knee that she had scrapped. It was the most endearing thing I had ever seen as he seemed to lean down and brush his lips on her knee trying to make her feel better. I was surprised how easily he picked her up and carrying her away with no struggle at all.

"He has werewolf blood. Most were-kids are stronger than human adults."

I nodded my head. Today had been a day of learning. I was grateful to learn anything about Lucas and his kind. I daydreamed of what it would be like to live down here forever, silently wishing that I could be so lucky to see kids of my own playing so freely and innocently in this type of world. No fear of evil lurking around dark corners. Though I didn't know if I would ever be that blessed, I was satisfied that I at least found this bit of happiness for myself. Right now…right at this very moment…this very second – life was perfect.

A familiar Frank Sinatra song started to be played by the band. I closed my eyes, listening to the man who sounded very much like him. Unexpectedly, I felt warm lips touch mine lightly and all too suddenly pull away. I opened my eyes and saw Lucas hovering over me.

"I'm falling for you Leah," he said as he brushed my hair lightly from my shoulders.

"Oh?"

"Yes."

He bent down again, only this time kissing me a bit harder. He wrapped my waist with his arm and pulled me a little closer to him. I couldn't help but lightly lick the tip of his lip, wanting to taste him. My hands ran up his arms grabbing his biceps to pull myself even closer to him. I felt his lips move from mine down my face and leading to the side of my neck.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispered into my neck as he paused for my reaction.

"Okay," I said.

**

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A/N: Thanks again to Courtney! Please review and let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you so much again for the wonderful reviews. You guys are great. Sorry again for the delay of posting this new chapter. Thanks again to Courtney as well!**

**If you're not already, follow me on Twitter! My name is Ellarose00**

* * *

I had never loved this hard…this passionately before. I never expected to be this consumed by anyone before. Although I had experienced imprinting through my pack brothers, seeing it through their thoughts and feeling their feelings, I just never expected it to be this powerful.

I lay there next to him, hidden away from the rest of the world underneath his bed sheets, memorizing his face while he peacefully slept. I don't know what I had expected to feel when this happened but fear was definitely not an emotion I was expecting. I looked at the man who I had almost given up on ever existing. He was the center of my everything and I was terrified. Absolutely frightened that one day he may stop existing and horribly afraid knowing for sure that that would be the end for me. My fate and future were now too tightly intertwined with his. Hundreds of questions crossed my mind as he slept. Could he feel the same way? Could he leave? Would he ever want to? Would I let him? I had to keep telling myself to take deep breaths to calm down. There was no reason why I should be panicking.

I reached out and lightly traced his lips with my finger. I bit my lip, wanting so badly to kiss him again but not wanting to wake him. I felt his lips move and before I could move my finger away, his hand held it there as he softly kissed it. With his eyes still closed, he smiled and let my finger go, reaching for my waist and sliding me closer to him, hugging me tightly against his chest.

I stayed with Lucas for three nights. I knew I should have at least called someone, that it was terrible irresponsible of me not to think about my obligations such as school or my patrols but I couldn't bring myself to care. I had spent the majority of my life watching an ex-boyfriend get married to my cousin who was like a sister. Not only did I have to know how blissfully happy he was with her but I had to feel and relive it through his own thoughts and feelings. Then when I thought I was finally free of it when I joined Jacob's pack; I was now subjected to be amongst perfectly matched couples on a daily basis. I think for most people it would have driven them crazy but I was pretty proud of myself for handling it so well, despite my moments of extreme bitchiness. I deserved this time with Lucas. I deserved my moment of absolute bliss. For the time I spent with Lucas, I was completely convinced that not even heaven could be this wonderful.

The first night we stayed awake, sharing our lives and talking about our family. I told him what it was like growing up on an Indian reservation and always having to look after my little brother, while he talked about his parents, but he only briefly mentioned his brother and how Julian use to take care of him. I listened intently as he spoke of his childhood, placed in a time that was so long ago it was hard for me to imagine. As the light began to break through his room announcing the new day, I felt my eyes begin to get heavy and his hand that had been twirling my hair through his fingers lay still against my back.

I woke in the late afternoon to the wonderful smell of baked goods in the air. I stretched and smiled when I remember where I was. My arm instantly reached out to find Lucas, only to frown when I came up short. A laugh caught my attention and I sat up to find him leaning against the footboard with a bagel in his hand.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," he said tossing the bagel over to me.

I sat up, trying to quickly comb my hair to at least tame whatever messy state my hair was in. I pulled a piece of the bagel off and popping it in my mouth. I started to eye the cart full of food that was sitting beside the bed. Everything looked delicious. I unconsciously licked my lips, eyeing every item.

"By all means…" he said motioning towards the cart.

I smiled, pushing myself off the bed and walking over to the cart. I felt his eyes on me as I slowly picked at the food around the cart. I took a bite of the strawberry, slowly chewing as I looked back up at him.

"I should get going," I said as I reached for another piece of fruit.

I watched as his eyebrows furrowed together and shook his head.

"I have to. People are probably wondering where I am," I said while looking around his room for a clock. I spotted one sitting on his desk in the corner. 4:15pm. I almost choked when I saw the time. Immediately I started to look around for my shoes. I got down on the floor, looking underneath the bed hoping they had accidentally gotten pushed under there.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"My shoes. Have you seen them?"

"Yeah, I hid them."

I pushed myself back up and looked back at Lucas who was still casually sitting on the bed, eating away.

"Why?"

"I don't want you to go home just yet," he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"As much as I would love to stay here…Lucas, I really need to get home."

He sighed and pushed himself off the bed, making his way towards me. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist lifting me up to his face and placing a soft kiss on the lips.

"One more day," he whispered and then kissed me a bit longer the second time.

I tried to push myself away and shake my head, no, but his grip held me too tightly. His lips moved from mine to my cheek and down to my neck. Any resolve I had for leaving was starting to fly out the window. _Would it be so bad if I stayed one more day? No one would call me today…they had no reason to. I wasn't supposed to be patrol tonight either, so it really wouldn't matter if I stayed._ I half-heartedly tried one more time to push myself away again, but he held me even tighter and I sighed at defeat.

I ended up staying that night as well as the next. I probably would have stayed there forever but it was the night of his family's charity event and I needed to get ready. Those few days we spent together were like a dream. He showed me more of his city and the parts he loved as a child. The other times were spent in his bed, simply laying with each other and holding each other tight. I had been timid about how far we would take our relationship physically. I wasn't ready just yet to go that far. I had too many secrets, too many things I hadn't told him yet. Going further with him intimately just seemed wrong. If I was going to give him myself, it would be with no secrets and no ties attached. I was a bit surprised that he also seemed cautious of how far we were taking things. It made me wonder if he was hiding something as well.

~*~*~*~

I had been staring at myself in the mirror for over an hour, carefully looking to see if anything was out of place or looking for anything that looked wrong. I moved my head to the left and then to the right. Every hair seemed to be in its right place. I touched the curls that were softly pinned the side of my head, leaving the nape of my neck bare. I carefully placed a couple of drops of perfume there.

"Leah, you look perfect. There is nothing to worry about," Annabel said, as I looked at her through the reflection in the mirror.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I wanted – no, needed to look perfect tonight. Tonight I was to meet Lucas' parents. I looked over myself for what seemed the thousandth time. My eyes traced the way my dark blue Grecian silk gown hugged my body. I had never worn something this nice before and was thankful for Annabel bringing it over for me to borrow. Due to my disappearance with Lucas I was unable to go shopping for a dress. I turned around once more looking at myself from the back. I loved the gold beading that had delicately been hand stitched along one shoulder, it was my favorite part of the dress.

"Thanks for letting me borrow the dress," I said.

"No big deal," Annabel said, taking a seat on the bed. She was starting to pack my small clutch with lipstick and other necessities when she held up my cell phone before placing in the bag. "Please use this if you decided to disappear with Lucas again."

I grimaced.

"Do you know if Jacob is still mad?" I asked.

When I had finally arrived home, I found Jacob fuming on my porch; he had been waiting for me. I was a bit worried about how long he had been there. He only said he was glad to see I was not dead and then stormed off. I could see his fists tighten by his sides as the started to shake. Immediately I felt an ambush of guilt.

"Um…I'd just avoid him for the next few days."

I sighed.

"Leah…um…have you told him about us?" she hesitantly asked.

My stomach dropped. I shook my head and pleaded with her in my head to stop asking. The adult thing to do would be to tell him from the beginning the alliance we had with the Cullens and the vampires that were on their side. I just didn't think he would stay by me if he knew and I just couldn't deal if he decided to leave.

"He doesn't know about the alliance?" she prodded further. I looked at her through the mirror not knowing what to say. Her eyes went wide as she realized that my silence meant that I had not said a word about the alliance. She got up and walked over to me and took my arms in her hands as if she wanted to shake me some sense into me. Her ice cold hands were beginning to hurt. She was squeezing too hard.

"Leah! What are you thinking? Why haven't you brought it up?" she demanded.

"I….it hasn't come up." I was a coward.

"When were you going to bring it up? When we were on the battlefield so he could see you fighting on a different side?"

Her caramel eyes bore into mine. I shut my eyes and turned away. I couldn't look at her.

"Leah, you need to tell him."

I nodded my head, thankful that she loosened her grip on my arms. I started to rub feeling back into them.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "Please promise you won't wait till it's too late?"

"Yes…I promise."

She stared into my eyes and started to shake her head.

"Leah, have you thought of how your imprint has complicated things? It is imperative that he is on our side."

"Complicated?" I asked defensively.

"Think about it Leah. If the werewolves don't side with us, it completely puts us at a disadvantage. None of the pack can fight Lucas and if one of the Cullen's or vampires on our side kill him…well the treaty between the vampires and the pack will be destroyed. The imprint between Jacob and Nessie won't matter anymore."

Different scenarios played out in my head. I knew without a doubt that I would fight against anyone who attacked Lucas…no matter who they were. I couldn't even let myself think what would happen if someone from our side killed Lucas, even if to defend themselves. Lines we become blurry, no one would know what side they were on.

I heard a honk coming from outside. I looked out the window to find a limo waiting. I grabbed my clutch and made my way out the door before I felt a pull of my arm. I turned back to Annabel.

She stared at me as if there was more that she wanted to say. I could see the struggle in her eyes. Finally she took a deep breath and let go of my arm.

"Good luck," was all she said.

I sat in the limo alone a bit peeved at having to arrive at this event alone. I stepped in to find a small box with a red bow sitting on the seat. _For you_ said the small gift tag. I opened it up to find a diamond tennis bracelet with a note.

_My apologies for not properly escorting you. Hopefully this makes up for it. – Lucas_

I would rather have him escorting me but it was a nice surprise. I've never been given gifts before and not nearly of this magnitude. I held up the bracelet up to the light. It must have cost a fortune. I quickly put it on my wrist and slid back into my seat. Nervousness crept in my stomach. _What if his parents didn't like me? What do I do when I get there? Do I look around for him? I don't want to look like an idiot standing alone. What if there are photographers? Do I pose for them? What am I thinking? They don't know who I am, why would they want to take pictures of m?_

Before I could completely bail out and ask the driver to turn around we were in front of the Westcott Hotel…and yes there was a red carpet and yes…many photographers. I took a deep breath and reached for the handle. But before I could feel the handle the door opened and there stood Lucas, his hand extended to me. A wave of relief swept over me as I placed my hand in his. He kissed my hand and took note of the bracelet on my wrist.

"Do you like your gift?" he asked as he placed his other hand around my waist to lead me onto the red carpet. He looked breathtaking in his tux. I almost giggled as he reminded me of a young James Bond.

"Yes, but you shouldn't have," I said breathlessly.

"But I wanted to," he simply stated.

He led me through the photographers as they called for him and snapped our pictures. All of them shouting, asking who I was, if I was his new girlfriend. Lucas simply smiled, held me closer to him and placed a small kiss on my cheek which made the bulbs flash wildly.

I was relieved when we finally made into the hotel. He took my hand and moved with determination through the crowds till I realized we were in one of the empty ballrooms. Immediately he pressed me up against the wall. I felt his hands reach for my face and pull me close to his lips. He kissed me feverishly and even more passionately as he reached down around my waist to hold me tighter against him.

"I've….missed you…desperately," he said in between kisses.

My hands made their way around his neck and the back of his head, letting my fingers tangle themselves up in his hair. I moaned as he pressed himself even harder against me. All too soon he let go and slightly pulled himself away from me. Both of us catching our breath.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said as he reached for my hand again.

"Thank you," I said as I raked my eyes over him. "You clean up well yourself."

His fingers lightly grazed the side of my arm.

"Will you stay with me again tonight?" he asked.

I bit my lip. I couldn't disappear again.

"I can't…my family was really worried…again," I said only wishing with all I had that I could say yes.

I saw his smile fall as he nodded and took my hand to lead me back into the party.

"But…" I said as he turned around to give me a curious look. "..you could stay with me…at my place. It's not a palace or anything."

"I'd love to." He flashed that beautiful smile of his as he leaned into give me a small kiss on the lips.

He led me around the party, introducing me to so many people I hardly could remember their names or their relationship to him. I smiled and nodded my head at the appropriate parts of conversation. I looked around trying to decipher who Lucas's parents were. All of a sudden I felt Lucas tug at my arm.

"There he is. I've been looking for him all day," he muttered to himself.

As we wove through the party, I looked up to see the woman I recognized as his mother and a large man standing next to her, who I assumed was his father. He was built tall and very muscular. He still looked very young, only the small laugh lines formed from his brilliant blue eyes aged him. I watched as he interacted with everyone with such authority but rare charisma. His smile was almost exactly like Lucas'. I could see the guests who interacted with him immediately sparked up as they conversed with him. I took deep breaths as we made our way closer to them, trying to calm myself down.

"Father," Lucas said as he moved me forward. "This is Leah."

I put on my best smile and put my hand out to shake.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," I said nervously, wondering if I should have referred to him as 'your majesty.'

Immediately his happy demeanor became frustrated and annoyed. He simply nodded at me and then walked away. I was left confounded with my hand awkwardly still held up from offering to shake his hand. I looked back at Lucas with worried eyes. How could he immediately not like me? His eyes were focused on his father and he gave me a light squeeze of the hand.

"I'll be right back," he said as I watched him chase down his father.

I watched as he met up with him and they began having a very heated discussion.

"I will not talk about this Lucas, especially here," I heard his father say to him in a low angry voice.

"She is who I've chosen," Lucas countered back.

"I've made my decision and my decision in _final_," he angrily spat.

I watched his father again try to walk away while Lucas followed him out of the room.

I was devastated that it was so obvious that his father wanted Lucas to have nothing to do with me. I wanted to know why. Was I not good enough? I wondered if Lucas would go against his father's word because I knew with all my heart, there would be no way I could stay away from him.

"Leah, dear," I felt a soft hand touch the side of my arm. I looked back to see Lucas's mother trying to put on a brave smile. "It's so wonderful to see you again."

I nodded my head. I was still a bit in shock over the interaction that I had had with Lucas's father.

All of sudden she took me in her arms and gave me tight hug.

"He loves you…with all of his heart," she whispered into my ear. "No matter what happens…know that."

I looked back at her with curious eyes. No matter what happens? Almost as quickly as she embraced me, she abruptly turned and left me standing there all alone. I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do or where to go. I saw a waiter pass me with a tray of champagne. I quickly grabbed one and took a nervous sip. I walked around a bit, not sure what to do with myself. Finally I caught eyes with Lucas who was making his way back to me. He looked completely distressed and upset.

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked.

He shook head and ran his hand nervously through his hair. He opened his lips as if to start to stay something but closed them again. His face was consumed with worry and most of all defeat. He looked around and placed his hand on my back as if to guide me to someplace more private.

"I have to tell you something," he quietly said.

Before we could make it any further a beautiful woman came up to us, blocking our path.

"Lucas! There you are," she said with a large smile on her face. I looked back at her and saw the same breathtaking eyes that Lucas had. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Sorry. If you'll excuse us," he said harshly to her as he tried to make his way around her but she put her hand on his chest as if to hold him there.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" she said with the same cheerfulness as if Lucas's sharp attitude didn't affect her.

"I'm Vivienne," she said without missing a beat and holding her hand out for me to shake.

"Leah," I said warily, shaking her hand.

"Excuse us," Lucas said again trying urgently to move around her.

"But Lucas…your father is going to make the announcement soon." She smiled even brighter as she tried to take his hand. A clinking of glasses caught our attention and I watched as Lucas's father standing on the balcony staring at him as if they were having a silent conversation. I felt Vivienne pull Lucas away. With his other hand he urgently grabbed for my face pressing our foreheads together.

"I'm sorry…so sorry," he said as he gently pressed his lips against mine. He kissed me as if it was going to be the last time.

I felt his hand slip out of mine and I tilted my head in confusion for when I met his eyes I saw that they filled with sadness and had remorseful glaze. Few moments in your life play out in slow motion and this was one of them. I watched her pull him away as they moved slowly through the crowd. My heart start to beat loud but at a steady slow beat as if it was waiting for in anticipation or bracing itself from a crash. The farther he walked away from me the more anxiety came over me. I watched as they continued up the stairs and to the balcony where I saw his parents waiting for them. As they passed the large pillar, a pale face caught my attention.

"Attendez mon signal," the pale face said in an almost silent whisper. I looked back at his family to see if they heard it but they seemed to consume with the announcement they were going to make. My eyes darted around the room, where I caught 3 more pale faces standing in the shadows of the party. These weren't newborns from what I could tell so far. They wouldn't have made it this long without attacking. Their eyes looked controlled rather than consumed with frenzy that newborns have. All were focused on Lucas and his family. Something wasn't right…something was terribly wrong. As if to verify my suspicions my cell phone rang. _Alice. _I didn't bother to pick up as I heard Lucas's father start to speak.

"Thank you for coming tonight to the Westcott Children Foundation Charity Ball!" his father boomed at the top of the balcony to the guests.

The crowd began to become silent and moved towards the balcony to listen to the speech. With my champagne glass still in my hand, I tried to break away from the crowd, looking up at Lucas, trying to get his attention. He stood there so still, his eyes focused intensely to the floor.

_Look at me… lift your head and look at me_, I kept chanting in my head.

"Today is a very special day for our family. We are thrilled to announce the engagement of our son, Lucas to the lovely Vivienne Fitzroy."

My champagne glass shattered against the marble floor. I stood there in complete and utter shock. Some guests turned around to stare oddly at me but I couldn't move and my thoughts became a panicked mess. I looked up at Lucas to see if it was true. His eyes kept their stare on me. I watched Vivienne take her hand to his face as she leaned closer to give him a kiss on the cheek to confirm. I was in disbelief wondering how this could happen to me… again. I felt the tears run down my face.

As I felt strong cold arms wrap around me, the screaming started to begin. I didn't fight them off, I didn't care anymore. If anything, I wished they would just kill me hoping that maybe death would give me some sort of peace. Everything became blurry, through my tear stained vision. A fight had broken out and there was a mad rush to the exits. I saw one of the uninvited vampires fall to the floor withering in pain. Nessie must be here somewhere.

"Leah!" I heard Lucas scream. I watched him fight against the guards that were trying to hold him back.

"Leah, you cannot phase here," a calm voice attached to the cold arms said in my ear.

As he felt that I was not going to fight, his hold began to weaken.

"Carlisle, its okay, we just need to get her out of here. I'll take her," I looked down to find Annabel. She put her arm around my waist and began to lead towards the exit quickly. I turned back to the fight, having to see if Lucas was okay. He stood there surrounded by his guards, no longer fighting against them, apparently watching the exchange that had taken place between Annabel, Carlisle and I. His eyes were furrowed together in confusion and then in anger.

I turned away and left.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are much appreciated! Let me know what you thought of this chapter.**


	9. Author's Note

**So I promised myself I would never put up an author's note, but I thought at this point, it would be rude of me not to. I have not given up on the story…just SUPER busy. Good busy but….busy. I've still writing the next chapter but haven't had the time I use to. I wish I could say it may let up in the summer but it's not looking like it. So please bare with me. Below I've included a bit of the next chapter (unedited). I don't know when the whole chapter is going to be posted but I just want to reassure you all that I have not stop writing it. Hopefully this will hold you over till I post next. Thanks again for all your support. All of you are awesome.**

* * *

**About 25 years ago…**

"Leah, one day I'm going to marry you."

I kept my eyes closed, feeling the sun on my face. A smile danced onto my face, as it always does when he says these things. My boyfriend, Sam has told every day that we had started dating that he was going to marry me. He even told me on our first date.

"Don't believe me?" he asked.

I turned my head and opened my one eye keeping the other closed off from the sun. His face was close as he turned towards me. He grinned as he shielded his eyes with his hands. This was how we always spent our Sunday afternoons, sitting on top of his car parked towards the edge of the cliff off of La Push beach, watching the sun go down. Unfortunately the ritual had been broken a month ago, but I was happy now that things were getting back to normal. His unexpected absence still stung but I promised myself I would get over it, glad to see he was back safe and thankfully still in love with me. I had to keep trying to forgive and forget.

"I'd believe you more if you told me where you were that time you were away," I said in an effort to sound casual but came out as interrogation. _Let it go, Leah, just let it go_, I chanted in my head. But I couldn't…I just couldn't.

Immediately his sighed and his smile completely disappeared.

"Please Leah, not this again. I've apologized a million times. If I could tell you…you know I would," Sam said.

I snorted and turned my face back to the sun. I didn't want to have another fight about this again but it was eating away at me. I couldn't understand. Normal people don't just take off and disappear for a month and then come back to never wanting to discuss what happened. I needed to know why he left and if he never told me I would always assume to that it was because of me. I'll always wonder if it was something that I did. The once solid relationship that I had felt with him was now a shaky one. We had to take it a day at a time.

"I just don't understand what you're hiding…why you can't tell me. I thought we didn't have secrets between us."

"We don't…"

"Obviously we do," I countered right back.

I heard him sigh and shift himself back down on his car. A moment of silence passed and I refused to be the first one to break.

"I just…had to get a way," he finally started. "It had nothing to do with you. I just needed to…find myself."

I could help but roll my eyes.

"Well did you? Find yourself? Or are you still lost?" I said as sarcastically as I could.

He turned again towards me as he reached over to trace the side of my face with his finger. I looked up at him to find myself without reason of why I wanted to continue being upset or angry. It was easy to do when he flashed me that favorite smile of mine at me.

"Yes, I found that I couldn't live without you. That I'm going to need your forever," he said.

My hand reached out to his hand that was tracing my face and held it closer to my cheek. His skin always ran hotter than I remembered. I had asked him about it a few times, worried that he was getting sick but he always shrugged it off as if it was nothing. Now I just relished at the warmth.

"You promise?" I said softly.

"I promise that I will always love you, I promise that we will always be together…and I promise I will never let you go."


	10. Chapter 9

**Hello! I know it's been a while but I'm still alive!! I apologize that it has been a while since the last time I posted but I have to admit only wonderful things have kept me away. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. So here is the next chapter…enjoy!**

**About 25 years ago…**

"Leah, one day I'm going to marry you."

I kept my eyes closed, feeling the sun on my face. A smile danced on my face, as it always did when he said that. My boyfriend, Sam, told me every day that we had dated that he was going to marry me, starting on our first date.

"Don't believe me?" he asked.

I turned my head and opened one eye, keeping the other closed off from the sun. His face was close as he turned towards me. He grinned as he shielded his eyes with his hands. This was how we always spent our Sunday afternoons, sitting on top of his car parked towards the edge of the cliff off La Push beach, just watching the sun go down. Unfortunately the ritual had been broken a month ago, but I was happy now that things were getting back to normal. His unexpected absence still stung but I promised myself I would get over it, just glad to see he was back safe and thankfully still in love with me. I had to keep trying to forgive and forget.

"I'd believe you more if you told me where you were last month," I said in an effort to sound casual but it came out as interrogation. _Let it go, Leah, just let it go_, I chanted in my head. But I couldn't…I just couldn't.

Immediately he sighed and his smile completely disappeared.

"Please Leah, not this again. I've apologized a million times. If I could tell you…you know I would," Sam said.

I snorted and turned my face back to the sun. I didn't want to have another fight about this again but it was eating away at me. I couldn't understand. Normal people don't just take off and disappear for a month and then come back to never wanting to discuss what happened. I needed to know why he left and if he never told me I would always assume that it was because of me. I'll always wonder if it was something that I did. The once solid relationship that I had felt with him was now a shaky one. We had to take it one day at a time.

"I just don't understand what you're hiding…why you can't tell me. I thought we didn't have secrets between us."

"We don't…"

"Obviously we do," I countered right back.

I heard him sigh and shift himself back down on his car. A moment of silence passed and I refused to be the first one to break.

"I just…had to get a way," he finally started. "It had nothing to do with you. I just needed to…find myself."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Well did you? Find yourself?" I said as sarcastically as I could, "Or are you still lost?"

He turned again towards me as he reached over to trace the side of my face with his finger. I looked up at him to find myself without reason of why I wanted to continue being upset or angry. It was easy to do when he flashed me that favorite smile of mine.

"Yes, I found that I couldn't live without you. That I'm going to need you forever," he said.

My hand reached out to his hand that was tracing my face and held it closer to my cheek. His skin always ran hotter than I remembered. I had asked him about it a few times, worried that he was getting sick but he always shrugged it off as if it was nothing. Now I just relished at the warmth.

"You promise?" I said softly.

"I promise that I will always love you, I promise that we will always be together…and I promise I will never let you go."

~*~*~*~*

**Present Day…**

My hair was damp from the sprinkle of rain that was cast down on the city. The once beautiful gown was now ruined and clung to my skin. I made it to my home and didn't say a word to Annabel who had silently walked beside me all the way home. A nod of my head was all I could do to say goodbye. My feet were heavy as I took the steps slowly to my door. I held my tears for the most part, only cursing the few that escaped during my walk. I just needed to get home. I refused to have a break down on the streets of New York. I wanted the privacy of my bed and the sanctuary of my blankets to cover me up, where I could lose myself emotionally to what just happened.

The lock clicked easily and I pushed opened my door. I heard Annabel's steps move away when she saw that I had made it inside safely. As I relocked my door, a sudden choke of a cry escaped my mouth. I quickly covered it up with my hand trying with everything I had to hold it in. I just had to make it to my bed. Very quickly I dropped my handbag on the table of my entrance way and made my way to my bedroom. I sniffled as I wiped the tears away from my eyes that were making it difficult to see. I flipped the light switch and my heart stammered harder when I found him sitting on the edge of my bed waiting for me. We stared at each other for a moment. I waited for him to speak first.

"How could you not tell me?" Lucas finally spat out.

I remained silent, staring at him as he dropped his head in his hands. His hands frustratingly ran through his hair. He wasn't looking at me, his eyes focus on the floor.

I didn't speak. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to yell at him for lying to me…for never mentioning he promised himself to someone else. My feelings were confused and conflicting. As much as I wanted to push him out of my bedroom window and tell him I never wanted to see him, I wanted to hold him close and beg him to never leave me even more. I hated feeling this way. I despised this control he had on me. I closed my eyes and leant my body against the wall, praying that somehow everything would turn out okay in the end.

I felt a gush of wind and a sudden warm breath near my face. My eyes shot open to find him towering above me, his arms stretched out on either side of me. His eyes glared furiously down at me. His anger so strong, that my heart started to beat faster with fear.

"I told my father he was wrong…I didn't believe him. I told him that there was no way you could be on the side of those bloodsuckers," his voice so low and frightening. He dipped his head closer to my face and I cowered in front of him turning my face to the side. I couldn't look at him and the words seemed to be caught in my throat when I tried to open my mouth to defend myself.

"I can't believe I was so stupid to fall for your games," he spat once more. He grabbed my face roughly.

"Look at me," he demanded. I reluctantly looked up at him, to find his eyes boaring into mine. "Was making me the fool your plan all along? Was it your mission to get close to me to learn all our secrets so you could expose us to your friends?"

I didn't answer, my heart beating harder in my chest. My tears started to stream down my face. I was at a complete loss for words.

"Dammit, Leah! Answer me!" he yelled at me. His body was tense, almost shaking with fury. He leaned his head down and I could feel his breath on the side of my face.

"Answer me," he growled low in my ear.

"Do you love her?" I choked out. I had to know.

"Does it _matter_?"

"Yes," I said as shoved him away from me so he could no longer tower over me. He stumbled, surprised by my strength. I looked him straight in the eye as he looked back at me as if he was trying to search for something inside me.

"Why Leah? Why would it matter? Is this some game to you?" he growled at me. "Is this some victory you want to claim?! I bet you and your bloodsucker friends think it's hilarious that I was tricked into falling for you!"

"I'm not the only guilty one here Lucas. You lied too. In all of the time we had spent together you never mentioned you were _engaged_! What were your intentions all along? What was I to you?! Was I just one last fling before your wedding?!"

We glared angrily in silence to one another. Now it was just a contest to see who would break first and speak. The tension in the air was so thick I could choke on it.

"Tonight was the first time I met her," he whispered sounding defeated. "It was arranged. I was trying everything I could do to stop it."

I didn't know what to say. I felt relieved that this marriage wasn't his choice and that he had been trying to stop it. Everything was slowly starting to make sense. The moment was becoming uncomfortable with deafening silence.

"Why…why didn't you tell me?" I finally asked him.

"What would that have achieved?"

"I don't know."

"Why didn't you tell me, Leah? What is that you want from me?"

"Nothing…I just wanted you."

He snorted and took a step back.

"So did you get all the secrets you needed to tell your vampire friends?" he seethed.

"No…no Lucas," I stepped towards him trying desperately to figure out how to make him understand that my feelings were real. "Everything…all of it… was real to me."

I took a step towards him and reached out to touch his chest but he flinched away from me. His shoulders hunched over, his whole body language screamed defeat. I watched as he shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way out of my room.

Instinctively I reached out again, not willing to let him go.

"Please Lucas," I choked out. "Please. I love you."

My eyes became wide as I realized what had just left my mouth. I stared at him and watched as I could have sworn I saw his face soften. But as quick as I saw it, it was gone – replaced with even more fury.

"Don't…Do-"

"Lucas…" I cut him off before he could finish. In a shaky voice, I continued, "…please listen to me. I know you don't believe me, but I do. I've waited for you for so long and I can't let this go…not now."

He held his shaky hand up as if he couldn't say the words to tell me to stop. His fury seemed to grow as I kept talking and couldn't stop.

"I know I should be wishing what I feel for you to go away or wish that I never met you. But I just can't. Lucas, please…I know you feel it too…I love y-"

Before I could finish I felt his hands grip my shoulders and I felt my back slam into the wall. I gasped, not of the pain but the absolute shock. Scared to look up at the man who was hovering over me again, I stared down at the floor. My tears flowed heavily now down my face and I watched them make marks on my floor. I felt him bend down, his warm breath on my ear.

"_Do not_ ever say that to me!" he growled. "I forbid you to ever say those words to me."

A sob escaped my lips and I squeezed my eyes tight so that the tears would stop coming. I quickly bit my bottom lip trying to hold what ever I could in, terrified that the most important person was starting to slip away from me and I couldn't do anything about it again.

"Listen to me very closely Leah. I should kill you right now for what you have done…for what I allowed you to know…" I could hear the strain in his voice come through. "Stay away from me. You don't exist anymore to me."

As soon as I felt the pressure of my arms being released and I had the courage to open my eyes, I found myself alone in my room, without a trace that he had even been here. Only a faint scent lingered on, but it was quickly evading me out the open window. Quickly, I ran to close it, wanting to keep in whatever I could of him.

~*~*~*~*~

**Monday**

"Leah?" I heard Nessie whisper.

I closed my eyes tighter, hidden safely underneath my covers, just praying that she would just go away. My room was still dark and I was thankful for the heavy curtain Claire had insisted on buying. My bed shifted as I felt someone, probably Nessie climb in. I felt a finger poke at my nose. I scowled and continued to refuse to open my eyes.

"Leah, you haven't gotten out of bed for two days," she said. "You should at the very least get out of bed to take a bath."

I opened my eyes, to find Nessie lying in my bed with me. I felt dead, weak and all I wanted was to just disappear. Nessie's overly concerned face would have made me instantly angry. I hated when people felt sorry for me. But at this point, I just didn't care.

"You want me to start the bath?" she asked.

I took a deep breath and exhaled before I nodded slowly. She was right, I could use a bath. My head was hurting from either sleeping to much or maybe not enough. I must have sat in the tub for hours. I could faintly hear people talking in my family room. It seemed like I had a full house. Claire, Quil, Jacob, Nessie, Seth and Annabel were all in my home. I slipped out of the bath, quickly dried off and put back my pajamas before slipping back into bed right after I shut my bedroom door. I kept my phone right on my nightstand and my window open…just in case.

~*~*~*~*~

**Past…**

I watched my boyfriend tremble in fury. He stood there very still, focusing only on the floor with his tight fists shaking at his sides. Instinct told me to get out of the house, but I stood my ground refusing to be scared of him. His temper had never risen so quickly before…he also had never been this big. He claimed he was spending more at the time in the gym, but the speed of his growth was not normal.

"Are you on steroids?" I asked.

His eyes shot up at me.

"No," Sam said obviously annoyed that I even asked. "Why would you even think that?"

"I dunno… maybe this new temper. You're so quick to get upset. Or maybe it's your sudden weird growth spurt."

I heard him grumble something as he went to walk to the kitchen.

"What was that?" I followed behind him.

"Nothing, Leah. I told you – I've been hitting up the gym a lot lately."

I cocked my eyebrow at him.

"I can't believe you are this upset about something so small," I started again.

"It's not something small."

"Yes it is."

"Leah, I specifically told you to stay away from the Cullens. I just don't understand why you can't just do one thing that I ask you to do."

"Sam, I fell in the parking lot. If I could have avoided it, I would have. It's not my fault that Dr. Cullen was there when it happened. He just wanted to make sure I didn't hurt myself. What would have like me to do? Yell at him to stay away? If I knew you would react this way, I would have never of mentioned it."

"Was any of his family members there?"

"No. What is the big deal? I thought you didn't believe those old legends. You used to make fun of all of them."

"Leah, just stay away from them."

"Why?"

"Leah, please!" he shouted at me.

I stood there, silent. He had never yelled at me before. I looked at the man in front of me wondering where the boy I loved had gone. The Sam who was gentle, funny and light-hearted. I was supposed to be the one with the temper and he was supposed to always be the one to calm me down…make me feel better.

"What's happening to us?" I said softly.

I felt Sam's warm arms wrapped around me as he tucked my head underneath his chin.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it," he said as he rubbed my back. "I'm just going through a difficult time right now."

"Maybe you just need to get out of the reservation. You could go away to school next semester. We can go together," I said, with hope and desperation radiating in my voice.

"I can't," he said simply. "You know Leah, you could still go. We could do the long distance relationship thing."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and shook my head in his chest.

"No, I just want to be where you are."

I heard him take a deep breath as if to say something else but instead tilted his head down to kiss me on the cheek.

"Alright."

I stood there for a moment but then remembered why I made the trip to his house to begin with. A smile formed on my face when I remembered the party tonight. _Today could only get better, right?_ I thought.

"So are you ready to go?" I asked him.

"Yeah, just let me get my jacket."

I grabbed my keys out of my purse and we made our way out the door.

"I can't wait for you to meet my cousin Emily. You are going to love her!"

**Tuesday**

I walked out of my classroom 20 minutes after it began. I waited those 20 minutes hoping that he would show. Maybe he was just late, I told myself after 10 minutes. I never pulled out my notebook to take notes and had no interest in what the professor was saying. I just sat and waited. Before the tears came down and I realized he wouldn't come, I simply got up and left in the middle of the lecture. I made it out to the steps outside, where I found my brother Seth alone sitting on the steps. He turned to look back at me and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"I figured you'd be here," he started as he got up to greet me, "to see if he would come."

It was obvious that Lucas hadn't come. I just looked back at Seth with a composed blank face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

I shook my head.

I was annoyed that he had come here. I just wanted to be left alone. But when I looked up at him, I couldn't help but see the little brother I had babysat so often. The little boy who would want to go where I did and I'd do my best to fiercely protect. I could see he was worried for me and wanted to make things better but didn't see how.

"Will you take a walk with me?"

I nodded my head, knowing it would hurt him if I said no. We walked around in silence till we made it to Central Park. I watched as people walked by and observed them interacted with one another. I began to feel the need to look away. I was envious of their ignorance of the world around them. They would never know of a world that exists in their same world.

I heard Seth clear his throat.

"Remember when Dad used to take us fishing?" he asked.

I smiled for the very first time in the past few days.

"Yeah, I hated it," I recalled. "He would sing all the time."

"He said it would help catch the fish."

"Maybe…if he had a better singing voice."

I remembered sitting with Seth on the boat with our father. Dad singing holding his fish pole, while I sat there with my Teen Beat magazine in hand and Seth with his game boy, clearly disinterested in the activity. It was nice to remember my childhood. Sometimes I wonder if maybe my childhood was too good and maybe that my life right now was punishment for never realizing how good I had it.

I looked up at my brother.

"I miss him a lot," I said softly.

"Me too."

It was silent for a moment as we made are way around the park. Seth paused before turning to me. I waited till he formulated what he wanted to say to me in his head.

"Some things happened when you left that night at the party," he said.

My curiosity peaked. I hadn't really thought of what happened after…only what had happened to me.

"Dr. Cullen tried to talk with the…uhm…king….Lucas's father after everything calmed down. According to Edward, those vampires knew of Lucas's family. They were targeted."

"How would they of even known of them? We didn't even know who they were till recently."

"That's the thing. I guess there was another werewolf family there. They tipped the vampires off."

I immediately stopped and turned to him.

"What other werewolf family?"

"The one that Lucas's….fiancé…belongs to."

My eyes got wide and I stared at him wanting him to go on. I knew I had to find Lucas. I had to protect him. I felt Seth grab my arm before I realized that I had been shaking.

"Leah, you need to calm down," he said very quietly as he lead me to an area that not a lot of people were around. "This is why I came to see you. We need to go to the Cullen's house."

"I-" I started. I really wasn't in the mood to be anywhere near the Cullens. Though I knew it wasn't directly their fault, I couldn't help but feel resentment towards them again. If it wasn't for them, Sam and I still would have been perfectly happy but I guess I could argue that I never would have met Lucas. But also, it was because of them that he was keeping away from me.

"Look Leah," he cut me off. "I know they are not your favorite people, especially now, but you need to come to the meeting tonight. There are things that happened that night…things that only Edward could hear and apparently only Bella could see. You're the only one who knows anything about their kind. We need your help."

"Seth, I'm not about to unleash all their secrets just so that we can win this war. I know Lucas is pretty much done with me, but I'm not about to turn on him. You of all people should know that."

"That's not what I'm asking. There are things that his pack doesn't know. It's obvious they are not going to listen to us but they may listen to you. Or rather, Lucas will listen."

I shook my head.

"No…he's not going to. Not anymore."

I tried to walk away but I felt him grab my arm. I turned back to look at him.

"You need to fight for him. It's the only thing that is going to save all of us."

~*~*~*~*~

**Past**

"This isn't…" Sam started but apparently couldn't finish. He paused for a moment before trying again.

"I'm not…." He started again but then didn't finish.

I knew what was coming. I knew what he had been trying to say.

Defeated, I said, "You're breaking up with me."

He didn't say anything, only staring cautiously back at me. His silence told me that I was right. I felt as though I could feel my world crashing all around me. He was my sure thing, my constant and now I had no idea where the direction of my life was headed. Everything had been planned. And now I was just watching it all fall apart.

"I'm so sorry, Leah," he said so quietly I could barely hear him.

"So everything…all of your promises…was lies?" I choked out.

"No, they weren't. Not at the time. Things have just changed."

"What happened? What did I do?"

"Nothing. You did nothing."

I could feel the tears running down my face. The faster they came down the more upset I became.

"Then what is it?" my voice rising a little louder. "Sam, I didn't go away to school to be with you. Everything up till now has revolved around you and our plans to be together. We were supposed to get married next year. None of it matters anymore?"

He didn't say anything.

"What happened? What changed?" I asked him again, slightly hysterically.

He said nothing again. I took a deep breath and asked the one question I had been dreading.

"Is there someone else?"

I looked up at him and I could tell with the look in his eyes that there was. His silence said even more. My eyes went wide.

"Who?" I demanded.

"Leah…" Sam said as he took a step closer to me but I took a step back away from him.

"Who?!" I screamed. My hands were started to shake violently. I began to feel like I was out of control.

"Emily," he whispered.

I started to feel sick, absolutely nauseous. My world was spinning and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it.

"Emily?" I choked out. "My cousin Emily?"

He simply nodded his head.

"For how long?"

"Since I met her."

He reached out for me but I shrugged him away.

"She doesn't know how I feel about her. I haven't told her yet."

"So is that why you came over today? To break up with me and then get my blessing?"

"Leah…" I felt his warm hand touch my arm.

"Don't touch me," I growled.

"I didn't plan for this to happen."

"Just get out."

"Please, Leah…"

"Get the fuck out!" I screamed at him.

I shut my eyes tight, trying to will the world away and keep my tears in. It wasn't till I heard the door close, I fell to my knees and broke down.

**Let me know what you think…reviews are appreciated! ******


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello! I have finally posted! Hope you like this next chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought of it! Thanks again to my beta, Courtney. Also, if you have a moment, please visit my friend's journal page. The link to the website is found on my homepage. She has couple of great reviews of young adult books. I always go to her to find which book I should read next!**

I was tired, irritable and not in the mood to be in a house full of mythical creatures; no matter how large that house may be and even if I was one of said mythical creatures. I avoided the stares as I made my way into the large living room, taking a seat near the front, next to Nessie. The stares told me that everyone knew of my relationship with Lucas; which now also meant that everyone knew that I had been dumped, again. The room was filled with familiar and some not so familiar faces. I tried to find comfort in the growing numbers on our side but all I could find was despair. I looked up at the front of the room to find most of the Cullens congregating there. The soft murmurs of private conversations created a low buzz as everyone took their place inside Esme and Carlisle's home.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," Carlisle started as everyone began to quiet down. "As you know, there is a lot to discuss tonight. I'm sure all of you have heard the latest and are aware of what has happened at the Westcott Charity Event. "

There were nods and murmurs around the room as everyone agreed quietly.

"Edward and Bella, would you please share your insights on the… Westcott incident," Carlisle asked with a slight pause at the end, as if he didn't know what to call the single worst day of my life. I internally groaned and slouched in my chair. As I looked up I saw Edward lead Bella to the center of the room, his hand securely set on the small on her back.

"As some of you will know, my talent allowed me to hear some interesting things," Edward started. "During the event, the Westcott Werewolf pack were under the impression that a marriage between their prince, Lucas and the Fitzroy pack's princess, Vivienne will form an alliance - a union that they believe will make them both stronger against their enemies. Unfortunately, the Fitzroy's have somehow formed an alliance with those very same enemies, namely the European vampires."

"Why? That doesn't make sense. Don't the Fitzroy's know that the European vampires will turn on them?" I recognized as Zafrina calling out from the back of the room.

"How can that pack form an alliance with the Romanian vampires when the Westcott pack refuses to form an alliance with us?" another voice called out from beside me.

"The Westcott pack is the largest, most powerful and also the most peaceful amongst the werewolf species," Edward continued. "They have been able to flourish over many centuries and have extended their friendship to other species, such as witches, fairies and so on. Unfortunately, that friendship was never extended to vampires."

I looked around the room watching the vampire's reactions to the news of other mythical creatures in existence other than them. Some nodded, obviously knowing of their existence but some sat with their brows furrowed as they tried to comprehend Edward's words.

"It is their pack that other pack's look to for guidance. Most will follow the Westcott's lead. The Fitzroy's are the second largest and have become power hungry. They believe that their place is at the top. They believe it is their right to be the most powerful, not only of their own kind but over all other species."

I could almost hear everyone's mind clicking over, trying to put all the missing pieces together.

"This is why the upcoming nuptials are so important to the Fitzroys. The marriage will merge the two packs into one. They plan to eliminate the current king and queen, so that Lucas and Vivienne can rise to power and then, finally they will eliminate Lucas too. This would allow Vivienne to be the sole ruler, her parents at her side."

I could feel my body start to shake violently. As soon as the shaking began it ended. I looked over to see Jasper staring at me intently, while Jake moved to sit next to me and place his hand on my arm.

"Leah, you have to calm down," Jake quietly spoke to me. "You can't lose control, especially here."

I shot him a glare and I could feel my lip slowly itch over my teeth as if I was in my wolf form, ready to growl at him.

"I promise you, Leah. We won't let anything happen to him," Jake whispered in my ear. I removed my arm from underneath his hand and tried to take deep breaths, while clutching my seat. The room became uncomfortably silent as I realized that everyone was watching me; as if they were waiting for me to lose it. I looked back up at Edward who eyed me cautiously before he began again.

_I'm fine_, I thought. _Just get on with it_.

With that Edward started to speak again, "The Fitzroy's made the alliance with the Romanians because they need them to do their dirty work. They were hoping it would have been done last Friday, in front of witnesses so that everyone would see the vampires had committed the murder. If they were to have done the deed themselves well… that could be a whole other war."

"Why would the Romanian clan even bother?" asked Emmett.

"I don't know. My best guess is that they feel that they will have better advantage to get rid of us with a werewolf alliance. I am willing to bet that once they get rid of us, they will turn on the Fitzroy pack."

"And the Fitzroy pack feels the same way? As soon as we are defeated they will turn on the Romanians?" someone called out.

"Exactly," Edward said as he nodded his head. "Both are consumed with power and greed. It is a temporary alliance on both sides."

A few conversations began amongst the crowd. I could hear questions of what we were to do now with this information, how could we make the Westcott pack side with us and how we could show them who the Fitzroy pack really was. I looked up at Bella and remembered that she had something to say. Before I could say anything I heard Jake speak.

"Bella? Didn't you also have something else you wanted to share?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. I felt the room grow quieter as they waited for her to speak.

"There was another vampire there. One that wasn't on our side, at least I don't believe he was and he didn't seem to be on the Romanian's side either. And," she said taking a deep breath, "it seems as though I was the only one who could see him."

"Only you could see him?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Yes, apparently I was the only one who saw him. I watched him as he stood close to Lucas, like he was protecting him, next to all of his guards."

"Do you think that maybe everyone else just didn't notice?" Seth asked.

Jasper shook his head. "No, there is no way we wouldn't have known another vampire was there. It would be impossible for another vampire to make them invisible to us. We would have been able to catch a scent, a sound of their movement…something would have brought our attention to the other vampire, especially if he was standing close Lucas. We would have viewed him as a possible threat but no one else saw this vampire."

"That doesn't make sense," Quil said.

I watched Bella as she shook her head, pressing a few fingers to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut, as she tried to contain her frustration.

"There was another vampire there," she said with complete certainty. She paused for a moment and looked up at all of us and then zeroed in on me. "He looked very similar to Lucas, like they could be related."

~*~*~

I was exhausted as I made my way home. There was too much to think about, too many things to occupy my mind. The meeting only increased my worry and desperation for Lucas.

The thunder erupted around me, so loud that a few car alarms went off. It had been down pouring since I left the meeting. I couldn't help but feel happy about the weather. I was not in the mood for a bright, sunny evening.

As the cab pulled up to my home, I saw a figure sitting down on my porch steps. Whoever it was, had decided to sit there shivering, with only a hooded sweatshirt to protect them from the rain. I tipped the driver and slowly made my way out of the car. I opened my umbrella and made my way to my steps. I was surprised to find Tabitha sitting there with a nervous smile as she tried to give me a small awkward wave.

"Tabitha?" I asked worriedly, as I tried to open my door and get the poor drenched girl inside quickly. "What are you doing here? Better yet, how do you even know where I live?"

She stepped aside and I saw a couple of glowing foot marks on my doorstep. She looked haggard and completely worn out, a complete 180 from the last time I saw her. Her carefree face was consumed with fear and worry. Her shaky hand tried to push her wet matted down hair off of her face.

"It's a sort of a…GPS spell," she said softly. I watched her look around quickly as if she was afraid someone was watching her. "Will you invite me inside?"

I motioned for her come inside and I led her into my kitchen. I pulled out a chair, indicating she should take a seat. I quickly ran to my room to find clothes that would fit her so that she wouldn't get sick.

"Why didn't you have an umbrella? Don't you know you could get sick?" I called out to her from my room.

As I rushed back with some yoga pants and one of Seth's large sweatshirts to keep her warm, I saw her hesitantly bite her lip.

"Um…I've never really experience rained before…well, at least not rain where you can get wet," she said as she took the clothes I gave her.

"The bathroom is down the hall to the right," I said as I tried to make sense of her words.

I made us some hot chocolate while I waited for her to come back. As I placed the mugs on the counter she made her way back.

"Thanks." I nodded my head as I watched her take a sip, her hands still shaking. "This is good."

I nodded my head again, waiting for her to start explaining herself. I desperately wanted to ask about Lucas but didn't want to be too forward, at the same time knowing that he could only be reason why she could have wanted to see me right now.

"So…," I tried to get her to begin.

"Um…this is a nice place you've got," she immediately said as she looked around my kitchen. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she tried to bring the mug to her lips with both her hands. As she put it back on the table, drops of hot chocolate spilled on to the table.

"Tabitha?" I asked. "Is this the first time you have been to the surface?"

She merely nodded her head, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Really? You've never left the, uh, underground?" I said not even sure what to call it.

"Yep," she nodded and took another shaky sip and looked up at me. "It has a name, you know."

"What does?"

"The place you prefer to call the underground."

I cocked my head at her.

"It's called Ouranos."

It was a fitting name for such a place. I took a sip as I waited through the awkward silence. I watched her as she stared out into space, as if her thoughts all of a sudden consumed her and she was trying to figure out where to begin. Her eyes began to water and I watched each tear drop from her face and make a soft splash as they hit the table.

"I don't know why I came here," she said suddenly. "He'll be furious when he finds out."

Her comment was like a quick stab to my stomach; a devastating reminder that Lucas wanted nothing to do with me. She took a deep breath and said, "We are in grave danger."

"What happened, Tabitha?"

She stared at me with her watered eyes as if she was debating within herself to go any further.

"Please Tabitha," I begged her. Whatever I could do to help Lucas, I was determined to do. "You can tell me."

"It's Lucas's parents. They were murdered," she whispered.

I was at a loss for words- not sure what I should say next. I simply sat there with a blank expression.

"How did…How could that have possibly happened?" I asked softly. I couldn't believe it. The castle was always heavily guarded. I couldn't imagine just anyone having access to them.

"Nobody knows. It was vampire, they were killed at night in their bedroom…completely sucked dry," she mumbled out. Her skin became pale and suddenly she looked very sick. "Lucas is a complete mess. He is upset that he wasn't there. He thinks he could have stopped them."

"Where was he?"

"Following you," she said simply.

"Following me?" I shook my head at her. "No, there's no way that can be. I would have known."

"If you did, I'd be a pretty shitty witch."

I gave her a curious look.

"I don't understand," I said.

"He comes to see me every day. My spells don't usually last that long. Maybe 18 hours at most."

"Spells?"

"He makes me cast a sort of invisibility spell. The spell basically dulls your senses of him. You won't be able to catch his scent, or hear the sounds he makes, or see him in the distance. But if he decided to show himself in front of you then you'd see him."

I was furious. He was the one who told me I didn't exist. What right did he have to spy on me? I couldn't wait to get my hands on him so I could throttle him. It was completely not fair for him to be able to see me whenever he chose when I would have given my right arm just to get a glimpse of him.

"Is he around now?" I looked out through my windows.

"No, he is at the castle in Ouranos. Planning their next move, I'm sure."

I sighed. "So he's been following me?"

She nodded her head.

"Why?" I started to shake my head. "Why is he following me? Does he think I'm going to betray him? That I'm going to tell the world your secrets?"

She was silent; as if she was trying to formulate how she was going to respond.

"No," she said quietly. "That may be the excuse he is making to himself but it seems he just can't stay away from you."

I looked down at my kitchen table. If he felt as though he couldn't stay away, like I did when we were apart, could it mean that I affected him the same way that he affected me? Would the imprint feel the same on both sides? The feeling of not being able to live without the other; like everything in my world revolved around him.

"He is king now, Leah," she said suddenly. "He is the only heir left to the throne."

I took a sharp breath, not sure why Lucas becoming king took me by surprise. If he was king, I realized, he would most certainly be the next target for the royal murderer. He was the only thing in the way before the Fitzroy pack could completely take over.

"He is shutting down access to his kingdom in two days. He sent word and is giving all the people who will not be participating in the war an opportunity to go to a safe haven. All of the entrances are now heavily guarded. No one can understand how a vampire was able to gain access to our kingdom."

I knew how. I knew exactly who could have given them access.

"Is he still planning on marrying Vivienne?" I asked quietly.

I held my breath.

"Yes."

I turned my face away from here trying to gaze off into the distance. I held onto my tears as best as I could. I felt her hand on my mine.

"He isn't marrying her out of love; you must know that, Leah. He is marrying to save his kingdom, his people," she said quietly. "But you and I both know that it's a mistake for him to do so."

I quickly glanced back at her.

"The Fitzroy's aren't who you think they are," I said bluntly.

"I know," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "Someone sent me a text."

"A text message?"

"Yes, one that told me not to trust the Fitzroy's, that Lucas was in danger and only you could save him."

She held up her phone screen for me to verify.

"It was a private number," she said before I could even ask.

"You don't have any idea who might have sent you the message?" I asked.

"No, I mean…I don't know anyone who would send me a text message about something like this. Why wouldn't they just come and talk to me? I just don't get it. Everyone I know lives in Ouranos. It has to be someone who knows that I know you and the only person that could be is Lucas."

"Unless someone saw the three of us when Lucas and I visited you at work."

She shook her head. "Nothing makes sense. Even if someone saw us there, how do they know not to trust the Fitzroy's?"

I shrugged my shoulders. It had to be someone she knew.

I took our empty mugs and placed them in the sink. I looked out the window to find the rain slowing down to a drizzle. I heard Tabitha yawn behind me.

"Would you like to stay the night here?" I asked.

"You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not."

I led her to the guest room, making sure that she had everything she needed. I watched her as she sat on the bed, slightly bouncing to test the mattress and running her fingers over the old quilt my mother had made me from so long ago.

"Well…I guess I'll see you in the morning," I awkwardly said as I made my way out the door.

"Hey Leah," she said suddenly.

I turned back and peered into the room.

"Yeah?"

"He comes every night to listen to you sleep, you know," she said softly.

My chest inexplicably tightened.

"If you wanted to talk to him, you should go out on the roof. He can see you best up there."

~*~*~*~*~

I stood uncomfortably on top of the roof of my home. It was a weird feeling to know that he could be watching me, but everything about this situation told me that he wasn't there at all. I looked around the other buildings hoping to see a movement or something to reassure me that I wasn't crazy for believing in something that seemed so unfathomable to me. Though I believe what Tabitha said, my glass half empty outlook on life had ruined any chance of me being optimistic about the idea that Lucas couldn't stay away from me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I knew that if he did watch me, if he could hear me, I had to take the chance. Even if I felt utterly stupid standing on top of my roof, by myself, in the middle of the night, about to try and talk to someone who I wasn't sure would even be listening to me, I cleared my throat nervously.

I kept my eyes closed; hoping that if I could pretend he was there, it would make me feel like talking to the quiet night was a little less crazy.

"Lucas, I know you watching me," I said trying to make my voice as even as I could. "And I know you can hear me."

I waited for a moment as if I really expected him to respond, but when all I got was silence I continued.

Not knowing what else to say, I began again with the first thing that popped into my head.

"I'm sorry," I softly said. "I'm sorry I lied, that I never who I told you the truth of who I was, who my _family_ is."

I surprised myself, using the word family. It wasn't until then that I realized that was what how I thought of the pack, and even the Cullens. We were all family; even though I wished I could deny it, there were just too many ties to hold us together. And to be perfectly honest, I loved them all, the good and the bad, just like any normal family member would do.

"I have waited so long for you, my imprint, the one that my whole world would revolve around. I didn't tell you because I was too scared of losing you; even though keeping this secret did just that. Lucas, I owe you an explanation. My kind imprints; it's not a spell and it isn't something I chose willingly, it just happens and no one understands why. Please understand, it doesn't matter if we are on different sides, I'll always fight to keep you safe, even if it means I have to fight against my own family to do so."

I took a deep breath.

"Lucas, you are in grave danger and I can't keep you safe if you won't let me. The Fitzroy's aren't who you think they are and their loyalties are not with you and your people. They are only using you."

Almost immediately I was overcome with the thought, the possibility of losing him. It was becoming more and more likely if he didn't believe me. I felt desperate.

"Please Lucas…believe me," I choked out, fighting desperately to contain the sobs that caused my chest to convulse violently.

There wasn't else left that I could say and I stood out there, eyes still tightly shut, listening to the city noise. Disappointed and defeated, I finally gave up. There was no sign that Lucas was going to make contact with me, even if he was listening, so I headed back down into my home.

I walked by the guest room and could hear Tabitha's steady breaths as she slept. It was nice to know that at least someone would be getting their full night's rest. I came to my room and when I noticed that the door was unusually closed. I didn't remember closing my door and I paused, hesitantly reached out for the handle. Almost as soon as I opened the door, I felt an impact so strong it could have been a bus crashing into me. It was so fast; I slammed against the side wall, sunk to the ground and slipped out of consciousness.

~*~*~*~

It was the yelling, someone pleading my name, which roused me. The voice was familiar but the throbbing in my head was making it hard for me to recognize the name of who it belonged to. The voice, whoever it was, no matter how distressing and terrified it sounded, gave me an unexpected great comfort.

I was still on the ground, my face pressed onto my carpeted floor. Someone was on top of me holding me down. I could feel my blood trickle over my eyes, something, claw-like, was digging into my temple. I desperately tried to blink heavy liquid away as it was preventing me from seeing anything, only a blur of the struggle taking place in front of me.

"Don't let her gain consciousness!" Someone shouted across the room. "We can't allow her to shift!"

I felt a stab of a needle in my arm and a deep sleep began to envelope me.

"Leah!" the voice yelled again.

It wasn't until I slipped into complete unconsciousness that I realized that the voice calling me was Lucas.

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**Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You guys are the best!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hope you all like this next chapter. I changed things up a bit, so I hope you all don't mind. Thank you to my beta Courtney…you are awesome!**

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I watched the drops of water fall down from the leaky roof and hit the puddle that was beginning to form in front of me. I didn't know where I was, but the smell of mildew and rotten garbage was overpowering. My best guess was that I was in an abandoned building, hopefully somewhere still in the city. I could feel a light breeze behind me, coming from an unknown open source; lightly pushing my hair in my face. I lay there, paralyzed on the uneven wooden floor.

My arm was positioned limply in front of me with my wrist turned up. My skin was covered in bruises and cuts that didn't seem to be healing as fast as they should. An IV was stuck into my vein; pumping a drug that was obviously keeping me sedated. I had been coming in and out consciousness ever since I had been attacked. Each time I awoke, I had been alone. I hadn't a clue of how long I had been here, maybe a day, a week or a month. Every time I awoke I found a new ache in my body that wouldn't go away. Frustration took over me multiple times and the only action my body would allow was crying helpless hot tears. My skin felt tight around where the old tears had dried.

I lay there hopelessly, knowing that no one knew where I was and the possibilities of my surviving this ordeal were slim. The only hope I could hold on to was that whoever kidnapped me wanted to keep me alive for a purpose. I couldn't, and didn't want to, imagine what the purpose could be.

The clicking of heels made my heart stop. I listened as they made their way quickly, faster than a normal human, up the stairs, noting each pause that signified the number of flights it took them to reach me. 12 flights. I heard the creak of the door as someone entered in. I felt my muscles tightened as I wanted to turn my head, but my paralyzed body just wouldn't let me.

The heels stopped behind me and a woman sighed dramatically.

"I'm here Lucas," the irritated voice said. I recognized it as Vivienne. "And she is still alive. I don't know what you are worried about."

The sound of her impatiently tapping her foot near my head was deafening loud as my ear was pressed to the wooden floor. I lay as still as I could with my eyes closed, trying to pretend I was unconscious. I could feel the adrenaline start to run through my body. Just the sound of her voice ignited something in me. I desperately wanted to hurt her…crush her with all of my strength. I could feel whatever drug that was paralyzing my body quickly fading. My arm with the IV began involuntarily shaking.

"Can't have you morphing now, can we now?" Vivienne said as she held my hand down with foot as she searched her handbag. I watched as she pulled out a syringe and bent down to inject me with whatever drug she was using into the IV, still balancing the phone between her cheek and her shoulder. Almost immediately, I could feel my body get heavier as if it would take all my strength to just move a finger. I struggled to stay awake as the drugs began to drag me into a deep sleep.

"What do you mean you need proof?" I heard her say into the phone. I heard her groan as she shoved the phone into my face.

"Say something!" she yelled irritatingly to me. I kept silent, not wanting to do anything she asked.

Impatiently she launched a hard kick to my stomach. Unable to hold it in, I choked out a cry as she placed the phone near my mouth. I looked up at her and shuddered as I watch her face light up in a bright smile, as if nothing else would give her more pleasure than seeing me in pain.

"See, I told you she was still alive," she said back into her phone. "And if you want to make sure she stays alive, I will see you Saturday. I will be the one dressed in white."

I listened to her phone snap shut and the clicking of her heels make way down the stairs. I prayed I wouldn't wake up as I let myself fall into the oblivion of unconsciousness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_**Lucas' POV**_

I couldn't stay away from her. Every night I visited, sitting on top of her roof; just listening to her movements below. I tried in vain to fathom reasons why I should hate her. Staying angry was starting to become a challenge and it was a painful struggle just to keep my distance. Very quickly, I was losing this battle. The death of my parents only increased my need to be near her, to touch her, to protect her. I was tired of all the sympathetic faces, their well wishes and anything that reminded me that I was now alone…the last one, surrounded by the broken pieces of my family. I wondered how I could have lost everyone I loved so easily. The same 'if only' statements returned to cloud my head, just as they had when my brother passed away.

I arrived in the late evening, quickly scaling her fire escape and jumping to pull myself up to roof. I could hear voices chatting below. I listened in closely to see if it was one of the many people who consistently visited Leah. I would have to be more careful as the spell I had made Tabitha cast was only good on Leah. If I wasn't careful, her friends would be able to sense that I was around. I stood still so I could listen to the conversation down below.

I was beyond surprised when I discovered a voice I recognized. _Tabitha?_

"If you want to talk to him," I could hear Tabitha saying, "You should go out onto the roof. He can see you best up there."

I could feel the hard scowl now forming on my face when I heard her reveal my secret. I could just imagine the smirk that was forming on her face. Various thoughts of revenge popped into my mind when I suddenly heard footsteps make their way up the stairs. Surprised, I quickly moved the side of the entrance of the roof, pressing my back against the brick wall. I hadn't expected her to actually make her way up here. To be honest, I didn't know what I was expecting. Did I want her to see me? I didn't know.

I held my breath as I heard the door open and her step outside. I saw a quick glimpse of her face as I turned my head to look at her. She looked tired, stressed and so beautiful. I watched as she walked out in front of me as the wind pushed her hair back. After being apart for so long that strange pull that I always felt towards her was stronger than ever. I could feel my body lean towards her automatically.

She lied, I repeated to myself. _But you did too,_ said a tiny, annoying voice piqued up in my head.

"Lucas, I know you're watching me," she said, "And I know you can hear me."

I desperately tried to hold my ground, just the sound of her voice made me want to encase her in my arms.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry I lied, that I never told you the truth about who I am…who my _family _is."

_Family?_ I questioned myself. Those people who visited her, she considered them her family? I had heard their concern for her as she locked herself up in her room over the past couple of days. I was surprised to see so many different types of species convene peacefully together. I had seen this often in my kingdom but never with vampires.

Before I knew it, I was walking closer to her, begging her to turn around. Because of the spell, she could not tell how close I was to her. Her senses couldn't pick up on me at all.

"I have waited so long for you…my imprint, the one that my whole world would revolve around. I didn't tell you because I just was too scared to lose you; even though it seems keeping this secret did just that," she started again Soon, I was so close that as the wind picked up and blew into her hair, I felt her long strands tickle my face. "My kind imprints, it's not a spell and it isn't something I choose willingly, it just happens and no one understands why. Please understand no matter if we are on different sides I'll always fight to keep you safe, even if it means I have to fight against my own side to do so."

It took all my strength not to reach out and hold her. I wanted to let her know I was here and that whatever this was…it was too strong for me to ignore. Though we were on different sides, I knew that there was no way I would be able to fight against her, or let anyone else as well. Slowly, I moved to her side, just almost in her peripheral view. I watched her take a deep breath as she kept her eyes closed. If she just opened her eyes and looked to her side, she would see me. Tabitha's spell must have worked too well.

"Lucas, you are in grave danger and I can't keep you safe if you won't let me. The Fitzroy's aren't who you think they are and their loyalties are not with you and your people. They are only using you. Please Lucas…believe me," she begged.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What did the Fitzroy's have to do with anything? I thought. Who else would their loyalties lay with? Before I could reach out to her, she turned away from me and walked back into her home. I stood there just watching her, not knowing how I should proceed. I had been so harsh with her, telling her that she didn't exist anymore to me when all along I've been spying on her day and night. I had to find out what she meant about the Fitzroy's. There were just too many questions I had, questions that only she had answers to. A large crash came from downstairs and broke my thoughts. My body reacted immediately. _Leah!_ It cried out.

I leapt off the roof and caught myself on the tree next to her room. Perched on the branch, I saw her lying on the floor, next to the wall. Jumping to another branch, I swung myself, throwing my body into her bedroom window feet first. The broken glass splattered through the room as I landed perfectly on my feet. My stomach dropped when I found who was there in Leah's room her.

"Vivienne?" I choked out. "What are you doing?"

Two of her guards immediately took me by the arms. I struggled against them but just as I was about to break free, one of them said, "I'd stop struggling if I were you," as he nodded his head towards Leah. Another guard in full werewolf form was holding an unconscious Leah down, smiling sinisterly as his claw began to break her skin. I watched in horror as a drop of blood began to fall from her temple and run down her eyes. I looked over to Vivienne as she sat there lazily on her bed, thumbing through some magazines.

"Ah, Lucas. Why am I not surprised to see you here?" She said not once looking up from her magazine.

"Let her go," I growled.

"I wish I could, honey. But unfortunately…I just can't."

"You can't?"

She sighed and put the magazine down. I watched as she swung her legs over to the side of the bed and made her way to me.

"This is really your fault, you know," she said as she leaned closely into me. "I just kept wondering and wondering why you would want to postpone the wedding. I seem to have found my answer."

"This has nothing to do with her."

I leaned away from her, repulsed by the women standing in front of me.

"I think it does, sweetie," She leaned forward and placed a small kiss on my cheek. As she looked back at me she flashed me a bright, wicked smile. "It's so good to see you, Lucas. I've missed you."

I glared at her as she sauntered over back to Leah's bed. She flopped down facing me, leaning back on her arms.

"You know, I first thought you were just a typical male, too scared to make a commitment. First it was with our engagement, you kept withdrawing from me, and now our wedding. Even more so with your parent's murder, I thought our nuptials would happen very soon. But you just kept pushing it back." She sighed as she crossed her legs. "So, if it's not her, what is the reason Lucas?"

I didn't answer her. I just kept my glare.

"Are you sure it couldn't possibly be this werewolf wannabe?" she asked.

"Is that what this is all about? Marrying you?"

Her face immediately morphed into a hateful scowl, directed towards me. She immediately stood up and walked over to me.

"Yes, this is exactly what it's about!" she yelled. "I know where you go every night! I know you can't stay away from her!"

"Fine, Vivienne. I'll marry you today. I'll marry you right now. Just let her go," I said, exasperated.

"Could you, Lucas? Be honest with yourself."

A small moan came from Leah and without a thought I struggled against the guards to break free to make my way to her

"Leah!" I yelled. I needed her to wake up, I needed her to shift.

"Don't let her gain consciousness," Vivienne barked as she dug in her purse. "We can't allow her to shift!"

I watched her throw a needle to the werewolf that was holding her down. I kept yelling Leah's name, trying to will her to wake up. But as soon as the needle was stabbed viciously into her arm, she became quiet again.

"What did you do? What did you give her?!" I screamed at Vivienne.

"This is exactly how I know you won't go through with this marriage!" She yelled back. "What is it about her? Why can't you let her go?! She fights on the other side…she is our enemy!"

I was defeated and she was right. I couldn't let Leah go and if I could, I would never marry Vivienne. But now, if marrying Vivienne meant saving the one I loved the most, I would do it.

"You win Viv," I said, my voice defeated. "You have my word, by the end of the week we will have our wedding."

"Perfect," she said with a happy smile.

She motioned for the guards to let me go and their hard grips on my arms loosened. I wanted to run over to Leah, but before I could one of the guards picked her up and carried her out of the room.

"What are you doing? I gave you my word. Let her go," I said.

"She's collateral, honey," Vivienne said, her voice sickly sweet.

"I gave you my word," I repeated.

"I know, but love makes you do crazy things," she shrugged. I watched her walk out as she blew me a kiss goodbye.

As soon as they were out the door, I collapsed to the ground. I rubbed my temples with the bottom of my palms. I couldn't believe what just happened. How could I have so easily lost Leah? And what was Vivienne capable of? The pounding in my head became louder and louder, till I realized it wasn't coming from my head rather someone was banging on the door. _Tabitha!_ I had completely forgotten she was still here. I rushed to the door, easily opening it.

Tabitha stood there cradling her bloody arm in her hand. Her eyes were wide and her hair was matted to her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked immediately.

"I think I broke my arm," she said.

"How? Did they hurt you too?"

"Who?" she said and then shaking her head no. "I was locked in the room. I heard the commotion in the other room, but I couldn't get the door open to help."

I looked down at the door knob.

"There isn't lock on this door, Tabitha."

"I'm not lying," I could feel the frustration roll off of her.

"Then how would you have been able to get locked in?"

I watched her as she shut the door and open it a few times. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"It was locked. I swear it was," she said. "I couldn't even turn the knob."

I gave her a skeptical look and went to go sit on the bed, putting my head in my hands.

"Is she gone? Did they take her?" she asked quietly as she sat next to me. She took my silence as confirmation. I could feel her hesitantly place her hand on my shoulder. "We'll find her, I promise."

I snorted. It wasn't so much about finding her and more about what I had to do to get her back.

"Do you know who took her?"

"Vivienne," I muttered.

"Leah said something about not trusting the Fitzroy's," she said quietly. "Someone also text me the same message."

I gave her a ridiculous look. "Texted you?"

She nodded her head.

Everything was sounding more and more strange. I ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated.

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"We do nothing. You go home and I plan to be married on Saturday."

"Is that why Vivienne took her?"

"Collateral, apparently."

"Lucas, that doesn't make sense. Why is she so desperate to marry you? That's not how that girl works. She is not a man-chaser."

"I don't know. She knows how important our marriage is for this upcoming war. Maybe she is helping me do what I apparently can't but need to do."

"That still doesn't make sense. I've known her for a long time. That girl is a bitch and she is always looking out for herself first."

I looked down at her noticing that she was still cradling her arm.

"Come on. Let's go get your arm taken care of."

She shook her head.

"Don't be ridiculous Tabitha. Your hurt, you need to go home. The kingdom is closing and I won't have you above ground any longer."

"No," she sharply put.

I studied her face and saw the same determination that would only surface when my brother was still alive and she wanted his attention. I knew the only way of taking her home would be nothing short of dragging her there kicking and screaming.

"Leah is my friend. I protect my friends."

"You've met her twice."

"Regardless, you need me Lucas. I can help."

"Help? It's looking like your more of a liability. You got locked in a room that has no lock. And you managed to hurt yourself in the process of trying to get out." She scowled angrily.

"I know you don't believe me but that door was locked. My arm is fine; I just need to wrap it."

I looked at her arm as it was starting to get black and blue.

"There is nothing we can do. Vivienne is right; I need to stop postponing this wedding. War is almost upon us. I need to do what is right. I guess I just needed this push. Leah and I…well, there can never be a Leah and I."

"You can't marry her," she pleaded. "Call it whatever you want, women's intuition…but if you marry her, I just know there will be extremely bad consequences."

I couldn't argue about this anymore and not because I was determined that I was right. It was because somehow I knew I was wrong. My instincts…my whole being kept telling me that marrying Vivienne was wrong. I just couldn't logically explain to myself that I was right. I started to get up but felt Tabitha's good hand hold me back.

"You love her," she said. "Trust your heart. It wouldn't lead you down the wrong path."

To push me further more on the side that I thought was so wrong she said, "Do you really think Vivienne will keep Leah alive once you are married? Can you trust 100% that she'd let her go? She knows how much you care for Leah. She will never allow herself to come second."

With that I knew Tabitha was right.

"So what do you propose we do now?" I asked, my optimism rising slightly.

"We call her family."

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**Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are much appreciated and make me post new chapters faster ******


	13. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the late update. I am seriously trying to get better! Thank you to you all who have stuck around with this story. I truly do appreciate everyone who still waits and checks in every so often for the next chapter to appear. Thank you again to my beta, Courtney. You are the best!**

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**Lucas's POV**

Tabitha grabbed the phone that Leah had left on her nightstand and placed it in my hand.

"Go on," she said. "Give someone a call."

I turned her phone on, scrolling through the names recognizing only a few. I felt slightly awkward as I went through her phone. I felt I invading her privacy in some way.

"Who?" I asked.

"Didn't she ever mention someone she is close to?"

I shook my head. During our limited time together, we never really got into the personal stuff. It was obvious that there were many things I didn't know about Leah. I felt reassured as I made a deal with myself that I would find out everything there was to know about her as soon as I got her back.

"I think she has a brother," I said, remembering the people who had come to visit her while I was …stalking her. I winced slightly and looked up at Tabitha, who was giving me an odd look.

"What's his name?"

"Seth."

"Well then…call him," she said trying to be encouraging.

I looked at the clock. It was nearing 2 in the morning. I took a deep breath and pressed call.

"Hello?" said a low voice on the other end. I froze. I hadn't expected him to pick up so quickly.

"Leah?" he repeated groggily.

"This is Lucas," I finally got out. I looked up at Tabitha who was nervously biting her lip.

"Lucas? Lucas Westcott?" he asked with a tad bit more energy.

"Yes."

"Where is Leah? Did something happen to her?" he said as his voice became frantic. A wave of guilt washed over me. I had failed to protect his sister and now I had to admit it to him.

"Yes, she was tak-."

"Where are you?" he asked immediately cutting me off. I could hear keys jingling in the background and a door slamming.

"At her house."

"I'll be right there," he said, followed by an immediate click of an end call.

I stared at the phone. I was going to have to meet her brother. Dread crept into my stomach. I hadn't exactly treated his sister all that well and to be perfectly honest, I was the reason she was kidnapped in the first place. Was he going to try and fight me? Would I even fight back? _No_, I thought. _I deserved whatever punishment I was going to get. _

"Is he coming here?" Tabitha asked, snapping me out of my brief daze. I looked at her as she was examining her arm again, silently wincing as she touched a sensitive spot.

"Yes. Tabitha, I really think you should go home." I had to try once more. I didn't know what to expect - especially with her brother coming to visit. If he was going to fight me, I was afraid Tabitha may try to defend me and I could risk her getting hurt.

"No," she said irritably. I sighed, silently cursing her stubborn personality and went to look in the bathroom for something that would clean her wound.

I was happy to find a first aid kit underneath the bathroom sink and was just about done wrapping Tabitha's arm in a sling when I heard the front door open. I frowned at her as I could still see the blood seeping through bandages.

"It's fine Lucas," Tabitha said. "It'll stop bleeding eventually."

With her good arm she pushed me out of the bathroom to meet Leah's brother. She followed behind me as I made my way to the kitchen. Almost immediately a sickly sweet scent hit me. Acting on instinct, I pushed Tabitha behind me as a low growl vibrated in my chest. I glared at the vampire who was now slowing making her way behind who I can only assume was Leah's brother, Seth. _Tabitha was still bleeding,_ I thought frantically_, how would this vampire ever resist her?_

"Seth," the vampire spoke quietly, "maybe it wasn't a good idea that I came. I should go."

"No," Seth said sharply. I watched his body vibrate, his eyes intense - as if he was trying to calm himself down. "He needs to get used to vampires."

"Please Lucas. She won't hurt me," Tabitha said behind me. She tried to take a step forward but I pushed her back, accidentally touching her damaged arm. She let out a small cry.

"I can heal her," the vampire said to me. "Please, it would be more for me than for her," she explained as I watched as her nose crinkled.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" I growled. "Turning her into a vampire isn't exactly what I call healing. Its more like death I hear."

I watched her wince at my words. The vampires I knew showed my brother no mercy, no compassion when they killed him. They held me down, made me watch as they laughed and slowly killed him. He begged for them to let me go, but it did no good. The pain of the memory was as fresh as if it happened just yesterday. When they were finished, they knocked me unconscious. I had woken up alone in an empty alley way.

"I wouldn't hurt her," she said so softly; I could barely hear her.

"I'm sure," I said sarcastically. All my past memories bringing fresh anger that began to fill my body. "That is all your species knows how to do..._hurt, kill, destroy liv_-"

"Enough," Seth cut me off. I watched as he turned to his evil companion as if to comfort her from my harsh words. To my surprise, that was exactly was he doing. I stared at astonishment, not believing what I was seeing. Vampires didn't have souls and weren't capable of… _feelings_. But I couldn't take my eyes away from them, now noticing the obvious of connection they had towards each other. I watched as he bent down and whispered in her ear words of comfort. And I continued to watch her as she nodded her head, bit her lip and glance up at me.

I heard the front door open again and watched as more people shuffled into Leah's home. Two more extremely large men looking like they could be Seth's brothers walk in with, from what I could tell, a human girl and…some sort of other creature. I watched this creature stand next to the vampire. I compared their similarities, both strikingly beautiful as vampires tended to be, but the other creature looked almost softer, slightly more human.

"What's going on here?" one of the large men said.

There was a long moment of silence I continued to glare at Seth and he in turned glared back at me. I was just waiting for him to make the first move at me but suddenly his eyes got soft and he took a deep breath as if he made some decision with himself.

"Just trying to prevent my future brother-in-law from killing my wife," Seth said sarcastically. My eyes went wide at the words 'future brother in law.' He couldn't possibly be referring to me, he didn't even know me. I could hear Tabitha starting to giggle as she tried unsuccessfully to hide by with a cough behind me and watched the three girls eyes brighten up as they all began to smile. Just like that, I could feel the tension in the room start to dissolve, but I stood rigid, getting more irritated at this apparent inside joke that everyone but me seemed to understand.

Seth completely took me off guard as he casually strolled up to me at put his arm around my shoulders as if we were long time friends.

"Look, you and I both know I should be kicking your ass right now for what you did to my sister, but I know you had your reasons to act the way you did. Being an imprint isn't something you can fight. And you wouldn't have called me and we all wouldn't be here if you didn't love her. Just know that if you hurt her again, I will personally hunt you down and kill you myself."

I was completely out of my element with absolutely nothing to say. I stood there, sort of shocked, still wondering when my much deserved beat down would begin.

He gave me a quick pat on the shoulder. "And when, not if, we find her, I'm letting her know you were this close to attacking her best friend." He said as he pinched his two fingers close together. "Leah's wrath will be more then enough punishment for you."

I watched as everyone's faces turned up into playful smirks as if they all agreed with him.

"I'm Jacob," said the other tall dark man as he held out his hand for me to shake. I cautiously shook his hand. "This is my wife Renesemee, but everyone calls her Nessie and this is Quil and his wife Claire."

They all waved and said their hellos. I nervously nodded my head in return.

"I'm Lucas," I said trying to keep my voice steady, "and this is Tabitha."

I watched as Nessie's eyes looked straight at Tabitha's broken arm and frown.

"Why don't you have Annabel fix her arm?" she asked me.

Before I could get a word out, Tabitha brushed past me as she headed directly towards Annabel, holding her arm in front of her.

"Tabitha," I growled but she only gave me a small wave to brush me off.

"I'm in pain and if she said she can heal me, then I believe her," she said not even looking at me.

I watched her as she stood in awe of the vampire before her.

"I've never met a vampire before," she said to her.

I started to make my way over to her to pull her out of the way but she turned around holding her good arm out to me.

"Not a step further, Lucas," she said as sternly as she could. "I'm not a little girl. I don't need your protection."

"I beg to differ," I said, ready to remind her of her recent episode of getting locked behind a door that had no lock.

She rolled her eyes at me. "This is my choice."

I stepped a bit closer, just to be sure that this vampire, Annabel would not hurt Tabitha. She looked up at me cautiously as if to get my approval and I simply sighed and nodded my head for her to go ahead. There wasn't anything I could do to stop Tabitha when she made up her mind and I highly doubted they would hurt Tabitha, or me for that matter, especially considering I had vital information to Leah's whereabouts.

I watched as Annabel cautiously put her hand on top of Tabitha's broken arm.

"Your hands are cold," Tabitha whispered. Annabel smiled and nodded her head. Her eyes began to close as if she was concentrating hard on something. A second later, she removed her hand.

Tabitha looked at her arm as she began to move it around as if it had never been hurt at all. She quickly unraveled her bandages and we both stared at her arm in wonder. There was no sign of injury to be seen.

"Is this one of your vampire powers?" I asked Annabel, remembering all the legends that some vampires had certain talents.

"No, at least not one that I gained when I became a vampire. I've always been able to do this," she said with a small smile.

"Really? You could heal people when you were human?"

"Yes."

"When did you change?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if it was appropriate to ask.

"Would you like the long version or the short?" Nessie said as she stepped forward to me.

"What is the difference?"

"The long version would be for us to explain to you how our family came to be."

"Or?"

"I could show you." She smiled brightly as she reached out to touch my arm.

Immediately my mind's eye was flooded with images. It was like watching a movie and as each new character popped up, somehow she was able to wordlessly convey their relation to her. I shuddered. The images she was showing me were both very personal and painful. I was looking through her eyes as her mother, near death called for her before she took her last breath. I saw a blonde vampire; her aunt Rosalie took me away as she got one last look of her father trying to save her with his venom and Jacob feverishly trying to keep her mother's heart beating. Immediately I could feel her pull towards Jacob as she watched him as long as she could before Rosalie had taken her downstairs. With that, I realized what Nessie was…a half vampire and half human. It was impossible for me to fathom. How could a vampire have that much control? What was it about her mother that her father desired so much to keep her? _Love,_ she spoke in my head.

Quickly the scenes began to move rapidly. Flashes of her favorite memories came at as introductions to her family at me. Her father singing lullabies before she fell asleep and her mother reading her favorite novels out aloud to her as she swung on her swing outside. Both of her uncles, Jasper and Emmett, who would toss her wildly in the air and catch her as she squealed in delight. Next were her aunts, Rosalie and Alice, constantly with a camera and a new pair of clothes for her to try on. I watched as she fished with her grandfather, Charlie, a human and her vampire grandfather teaching her about science and then her grandmother gardening in the backyard. She quickly went through the pack, slowing down as she came to Leah, letting her picture linger a little longer than the others.

Images began to slow down, as she helped me understand that the imprint between her and Jacob was what forged the union between Jacob's pack and her family, the vampires. I saw that it was this that had stopped the Volturi, the leader of the vampire species at the time, from finishing what they set out to do. Destroy her and her family. I watched in awe as I saw vampires and the shapeshifters come together as either fighters or witnesses to show the Volturi that she was not an immortal child and should not be destroyed. I saw her aunt Alice save the day with a boy named Nahul who was also a half human and half vampire. _There were others like her?_ I asked myself.

Images of her life began to fast forward again with Jacob always in the background, never leaving her side and always as her guardian. She aged rapidly but soon it stopped as she looked now, frozen at age 18. I watched her as she entered a new school and instantly became friends with Annabel who I saw as a human with a special gift, one that was considered almost a myth amongst mythical creatures. I saw as her friendship to Annabel grew almost as rapidly as her close friendship with Jacob started to become something.

She gave me glimpse of Leah throughout her life and the common theme that appeared to me was her isolation. She was always alone. Though she had family, there was no particular female friend amongst the pack and no one to understand where she was coming from. I saw how each of her pack members began to quickly imprint on others while she remained unmoved by anyone. I watched the day that Seth first met Annabel and the way it reminded Leah of her difference. I saw that she genuinely believed she would always be alone. The image was as clear as if I was actually in the moment and I took a step forward to her, only to remember that these images were just memories.

Nessie fast forwarded quickly through Annabel's capturing by the Volturi. I watched as everyone came to rescue her and a stubborn Nessie travel alone when she was told she couldn't come. It was exactly something Tabitha would have done. I winced as I saw Annabel suffer through the torture of vampire venom and how it changed her gift as a healer. I saw more of Nessie's gift as she actually took her power so that the transformation could occur. Then all too quickly I saw the Volturi destroyed by them. The image of Caius being held, crying out pain under the control a little girl was burned in my head, refusing to ever let go.

As she let go of my arm, I took a huge breath as if I had been holding it all this time. I walked over to Annabel as she stared cautiously back at me.

"You are the one who killed Caius?" I asked.

"Yes," she said simply.

"Our species is ever in debt to you. He was the one who forced us to go underground and nearly succeeded in causing the extinction of our kind."

She looked at me shocked and turned her head to Seth who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Help us find Leah and it will be considered even," she said plainly.

I nodded my head and looked back at Tabitha. She gave me a reassuring smile; as if to tell me calling her family had been the right move.

"Do you know who took Leah?" Seth asked.

"Yes, it was Vivienne."

"You're _fiancé_?" Claire asked as she folded her arms across her chest and glaring as hard as she could at me.

I nodded, ashamed. "I didn't know she was capable of this. I didn't think she was so desperate to marry me. She never showed me any particular interest growing up. It may be this upcoming war. She may just want to ensure our alliance with their pack."

I started to rambled and couldn't find myself stopping. I stared at the floor, too much of a coward to look at her brother. "If I knew she was like this…I would have never of let this happen. It wasn't a union of love, it was arranged. I should have just done my duty. I should have listened to my father."

"Marrying Vivienne would have been the worst thing you could have done," Seth said as I looked up. "The Fitzroy's have an alliance with the Romanian vampires. The marriage would have only ensured your people fought on their side."

"I don't believe you. That makes no sense. Vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies. Why would they align themselves with them now?"

"Power, greed…it really is only a temporary alliance. Their main goal is to destroy us, our side," Jacob said. "Once we are out of the picture, I'm sure the alliance will dissolve and it's every man for themselves."

"Why do they care about your side? What is it about you that they would view as a threat?" I asked him.

"Nessie and Annabel are not the only ones with unique powers in our family," Quil said.

I looked at all them, waiting for them to explain further.

~*~*~*~*~*~

_How did my life get so out of control?_ I thought to myself as I wondered around the large home. It seemed like only days ago, everything was in black and white. Vampires…all bad, werewolves… good. Half-breeds...don't exist. When did all the lines get blurred? When did it all get so confusing?

I walked down a large hall pausing every so often to look at the framed pictures, proudly displayed on the walls as family portraits. All of them were frozen in time, except Nessie, who was pictured here first as a baby, then as a toddler and so on. Her life documented quickly all the way till she looked the same age as her parents.

I told them I needed to use the bathroom when really all I wanted was to get away, even if it was just for a moment. I felt like I needed to catch up to the things that were quickly happening around me. The atmosphere downstairs was suffocating and unnerving for me. Everyone was perfectly paired up with their other half, while Tabitha and I awkwardly stood around separate and disjointed from the group.

I wanted to leave, to take off and rescue Leah on my own. I continued walking down the hall and before I made it to the stairs I eyed the window that screamed for my easy escape. The morning sun was slowly making itself known almost as a reminder that it had been a while since I last slept. I imagined how easily I could slip away. I could find Leah on my own. I'd figure it out. I could rescue her again, I had done it before.

"Tabitha, will be quite upset if you leave her here by herself," a voice called from the stairs.

I looked down the stairs to find the reddish-brown hair and apparently a mind reader vampire, Edward, leaning against the wall watching me.

"I wasn't planning on leaving," I lied.

He chuckled, which annoyed me even more. "Sure you weren't."

I snorted and made my way down the stairs trying to move quickly past him. I growled as he blocked my path.

"You won't be able to rescue Leah on your own," he said to me.

I glared at him. _Leave me alone_, I thought. It took all my energy not to throw him against the wall.

"It took a while for Leah to trust us," he started again. "You two are a lot alike, except it took her quite a while just to even make it through the front door of our home."

I stared at him not speaking a word but still desperately wanting to hear anything about Leah. To hear that she had a hard time as well was somewhat comforting. At least we agreed on a mutual dislike of these vampires.

"She hated us for quite a while," he continued. "She blamed us for a lot of things, mostly for being the catalyst that made her who she is."

_You made her a shapeshifter?_ I thought.

"No one really knows how it works. But our presence in their small town may have caused things to set in motion for her. Before we came to her small town, she was very much in love with a man named Sam. When we showed up he began to go through some changes. He was beginning to shift and with shifting comes imprinting. Her cousin Emily came to visit her and when Sam set eyes on her, he imprinted. The imprint is unchangeable, as I'm sure you are aware and as much as Sam felt awful about it, he couldn't deny his love for Emily. It broke Leah's heart."

_Why are you telling me this?_

"If we never moved to Forks, maybe Sam would never have begun shifting or Leah for that matter. Maybe she and Sam would have lived happily ever after. But then you would never have met her. I'm telling you this because she hated us for a long time. She blamed us for taking someone she loved very much away from her and well...this seems to be the case for you as well. I'm just hoping that if Leah of all people found some way to trust us, you'd find you may be able to as well."

He didn't say anything after that, only turned away and began walking down the stairs. I felt almost ashamed that I had wanted to bail out earlier. I needed Leah back and I knew working with these vampires were the only way I was going to accomplish this successfully.

I headed downstairs; ready to rescue the one I loved.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**Leah's POV**

"Is this a dream?" I asked.

I turned my head from the sun to find a pair of beautiful blue eyes staring back at me. His smile faltered a bit but he reached over with his finger to trace my cheek.

"Yes," Lucas said sadly. I knew it was a dream; I didn't really need to ask. Part of me just wanted him to lie.

I sighed as his hand cupped my face and I leaned into him. He felt so real. I didn't want to wake up and cause this dream to end. Waking up was terrifying. I would find myself in more pain, lying paralyzed on that wooden floor again.

"Are you coming to save me?" I asked him.

"Soon."

"I don't know how much longer I can stay alive," I said honestly. Every time I woke, I wished for death. I could feel myself slipping away and my body starting to give up.

"Do you have faith in me...in us?"

"Yes."

"Then I will save you."

I nodded my head. His image was starting to fade and the tears began to fall from my eyes again. I closed them as he leaned down and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

"Keep fighting Leah," he said. "I'll find you soon."

When I opened them, I was awake and back in my nightmare.

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**Thanks again for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Thank you everyone for being so patient and the readers who have been sticking with me for this long. Here is chapter 13....finally!! Thank you Courtney. You rock! Please let me know what you think of it. Also, please follow me on Twitter at EllaRose00. I've been getting much better about my updates! Also, I usually post some New Moon merchandise that I'm selling if you're interested. Thank you, thank you, thank you....can't say it enough. **

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Lucas's POV

I must have been standing here, in front of the mirror for 15 minutes, not moving and hands trembling at my sides. I glared at reflection, particularly at the offending tie strung itself loosely around my neck. It hung there, taunting me, daring me to tie it up. It's presence reminding me that this was really happening. I was actually going through with this. This overwhelming dread of what I was about to do was never how I imagined I would feel on my wedding day. But yet, here I was. I had made it this far and now, there was no turning back.

I had called Vivienne this morning. I wanted proof. I needed to hear Leah's voice, to make sure that she was still alive and that she was okay. Unfortunately, I only got the latter and my chest tightened with immense pain when it was very clear that she wasn't alright. It felt as though a ton of bricks were pressing against my chest. My demands of Vivienne had only seemed to result in more pain for Leah. As I heard her choke out in pain, I had keeled over, gripping the side of the table. _What have I done?_ Her pain was too much for me to take and I thought I would die from it. I knew with absolute certainty that if she didn't make it out of this alive, neither would I. It was then that I realized how close our two lives seemed to intertwine now.

Knowing I was only prolonging the evitable, I tied the damn tie.

A soft knock, barely audible, gained my attention as I gave myself one last good look in the mirror. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and made my way to the door.

"This wasn't how I imagined your wedding," Tabitha said as soon as I opened the door.

"I don't think any groom imagines killing his bride on his wedding day," I said, stepping aside to let her by and shutting the door quietly. She looked uncomfortable in her unflattering pink bridesmaid dress. The loud sounds of fabric rustling against each other as she made her way to sit on the couch.

"Well, I definitely didn't imagine me looking like a Pepto Bismal bottle on your wedding day either," she said as she fisted the fabric of her skirt in her hands like she wanted to rip the whole thing off before taking a deep breath and smoothing out the wrinkles she created. "But I guess this is a small price to pay for being your best man. But please promise me that when you do this for real, I will not be subjected to this god awful color again."

"Leah doesn't seem like the Pepto Bismal pink kind of girl," I said softly, hoping that I would get my chance at a real wedding.

I took a seat next to her, both of us still and completely lost in our own thoughts. Maybe we were each saying our own prayers in what was to come in the next hours.

"She's heavily guarded," Tabitha said as she broke the silence.

"I figured."

"Something's not right, Lucas. I have this feeling..." she trailed.

"Of course something is not right. I'm planning on killing my bride at my wedding, to save a girl who's family and friends are our sworn enemies." I shot her an ridiculous look.

"It's not that. I feel like we are missing something...something very important."

"Are the blocks you set up not working?" I asked her. Certain senses needed to blocked off for us to successfully carry out our plan, particularly Vivienne's guards and the rest of the guests. Vampires, for obvious reasons would not be welcomed here.

"No, they're fine. It's not that."

I looked at Tabitha, her eyes far away. She bit her lower lip and looked at her watch, shaking her head.

"Something is going to happen. I've never been wrong about my intuition, Lucas. Please...just be careful."

I nodded my head. Her words caused me to worry even more. I know she hadn't meant to make me anxious but I looked down at my hands and realized that they had nervously started shake again. I began to clench and unclench my hands in a failed attempt to calm myself down.

"I have to go. The wedding is going to start soon," she said as she stood up. I turned my head up to her. "I just came here to, I don't know, wish you luck?"

"Luck seems appropriate enough."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders and bent down to place a small kiss on my head.

"I'm looking forward to your real wedding. It'll happen someday," she murmured. The church music began and I closed my eyes just as I heard the door closed.

~*~*~*~

The temple was large and ornate. Attached to the castle that I had grown up in, it had the same old, gothic architecture. The emerald stain glass windows reflected colorful patterns against the marble walls, while the large archers and overwhelmingly high vaulted ceiling gave a sense of intimidation and history. Generations of my family have been married, baptized and frequently sought forgiveness here. Thought it is this place that my people considered most sacred, this was where my brother and I had played numerous games with each other when we were young, much to my parents disapproval. I was uncomfortable at the anticipate bloodshed in such a holy place. But I had done everything I could to make sure that this ceremony occurred on my turf, where I knew all the ins and outs and secret passageways that no one else knew anything about.

I stood at the altar, my ears poised to those very same hidden spots Julian and I had found as boys.

"Find out where Leah is first, Lucas. We need to ensure we have that information before we make any moves," Edward said. His voice carrying softly from above me. I looked at Viviane's guards to see if they heard his quite voice.

"They didn't hear anything," I heard Edward chuckle. "Tabitha is pretty talented."

A small smirk formed on my face. Yes, I was very blessed to have her on my side. I stood watching as everyone was taking their seats and the wedding procession ballad started to play. The first down the aisle was Tabitha. She uncomfortably made her way down with Max, my old friend and personal guard , her hand gripping his arm and eyes filled with worry. I nodded to her to let her know that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. She bit her lip and nodded back, as she took her place at the altar while Max came to stand beside me.

It had been a while since I had talked to Max. Our disagreements over my actions these past few weeks had caused a slight rift in our friendship. He looked at me with a smile, all was forgiven in his eyes as put his hand on my shoulder. He must have thought this wedding was me finally coming to my senses.

"Your doing the right thing, Lucas," he said. I kept my face emotionless and kept my gaze straight ahead.

The rest of the wedding party made their way down the aisle and then the music switched to announce the bride. The doors shut, in preparation for the bride, as I closed my eyes. I imagined for just a second, what it would be like to see those doors open and watch Leah come down this aisle. Her long hair loose against her shoulder and that bright smile I had only unfortunately seen a few times. I could almost imagine it perfectly, they way she would look angelic in a simple white dress and felt a small smile lift on the sides of my mouth. But as I opened my eyes, I found a girl who was Leah's opposite. Her hair was pulled back tightly and her body stuffed into a gaudy dress. I watched her with such distaste and hatred as she made her way down to me. A victorious smile plastered on her face as if she thought she already won.

As she held her hand out for me to take, my uncontrollable temper over took me. I wouldn't wait any longer. Not when the person who knew where Leah was so close to me now. She knew where Leah was and if I had to beat it out of her, I would.

"No, Lucas," I heard Edward whisper.

Without another thought, I grabbed her wrist.

"Ow!" she protested softly. She looked around, clearly embarrassed by my actions, wondering if anyone noticed. She stepped closer to me, trying to cover up my actions as lustful eagerness.

"That hurts," she whispered with a fake smile.

The priest cleared his throat to get my attention so he could start the ceremony, but I ignored him. I wanted my answer now.

"Tell me where she is," I growled at her.

"This isn't the plan, Lucas," I heard Seth say from the far corner that he was hiding.

"You know the deal Lucas," Vivienne said trying to keep her voice light but quiet. "Once we are done with ceremony."

"No," My voice came out louder and sharper than I even expected. My patience running thin, I grasped her wrists tighter and shook her. "Tell me now."

"Lucas, you're hurting me," she complained.

"Lucas, what are you doing?" I heard Max say trying to diffused the situation. I could hear the worry whispers from our guests.

"Tell me, Vivienne," I brought her closer to me as I glared into her eyes. She tried to turn her face from me, but I grabbed her chin and made her look at me. "Tell me were Leah is."

She began to panic and I watched her eyes dart around the room.

"Let go of me," she growled back trying to wretch herself free from my grasp.

"I know where she is, Lucas," I heard Edward suddenly say. "She thought of the building where they are keeping her. I know where she is."

Relief was overwhelming but before I could do anything about it I felt a strong hand on my shoulder.

"Let her go, Lucas," Max growled in my ear.

I gave her one last chance to redeem herself and to tell me where Leah was. If she did, I promised myself that maybe I would consider sparing her life.

I let her go and I took a step back. She rubbed her wrists, looking at me with venomous eyes. She stepped closer to me and leaned into my ear.

"Marry me now or she dies," she whispered. "One day you will see I am doing you a favor. If I have to force you to do the right thing, so be it. I am protecting our people."

"Hardly," I said no longer willing to keep up pretenses that our people were her number one concern. "You interests are only gaining power."

"You're being ridiculous, Lucas."

"Ridiculous? I suspect you have plans to kill me after this wedding is over."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Vivienne said scoffing at me.

"I believe I do. Did you let the rest of your clan know you have aligned yourselves with the vampires?" I taunted her, my voice strong as I made sure that everyone could hear. The whispers were no more as the seated guests began to talk amongst themselves and shouts of outrage filled the church.

"What are you talking about Lucas?" Max said. "Why would the Fitzroy's align themselves with our enemy?"

I watched the faces of her family become pale and uncharacteristically quiet.

"Ask her," I said sharply.

"He's lying." Vivienne said trembling. "He doesn't know what he is talking about."

"That's where you're wrong, Vivienne. Your choices were foolish, for you think that you are deceiving them when in fact they have been deceiving you."

"No," she said. "you are wrong."

I glared at her, waiting for her to back pedal her way out of this.

A cry came from the opposite side of the church. The whole church simultaneously turned around to look at the small girl, hair black as ink and eyes filled with fear step out of the shadows. It was the vampire I knew as Alice. I watched her cautiously as she walked up down the aisle, her mate Jasper protectively following behind her. Soon all of the other vampires from the Cullen clan made their way out of the shadows.

I heard the worries of our people sitting in the pews. Some of the men were preparing to fight and the women were tucking their children in their arms protectively behind them, trying quickly to make their way out of the temple. I raised my hands in a peaceful gesture to the men to show that these strangers had not come to fight.

The blonde vampire, Carlisle stepped forward so that he stood by me.

"We do not mean any harm to anyone. We only came as an aide to your King."

My chest ached when I heard his words, a reminder that I had taken over my father's reign and that he was gone.

"You are going to accuse me of an alliance when you have obviously made one with these bloodsuckers!" Vivienne screamed.

"We are too late," Alice said to me shaking her head in disbelief, ignoring Vivienne.

"Too late?" I asked looking at her but she stood there in shock her eyes trained to the floor. Her head shaking, whispering to herself repeatedly "too late." I looked at her other family members, trying to decipher what was going on. My eyes found Edward who was wearing the same look of shock and fear.

"What did you see Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"The war," Edward said for her. "This marriage...this wedding wasn't the catalyst. It was only to serve as a distraction. They used the Fitzroy werewolves so Alice couldn't see what they were planning and now it's too late to stop it...it's already starting."

"Distraction?"

"Alice can only see the future for vampires and humans. What she is seeing is glimpses of the future and right now, barely any of us survive, especially the werewolves. That is how she is seeing it much clearer. Decision has been made, all vampires have been contacted and received the message. In an hour they are planning on revealing themselves to the world."

"Revealing themselves?" I said in disbelief.

"Yes, they are planning to show the world that vampires do indeed exist."

"No, you are lying," Vivienne said sharply to Edward.

"I am not," he said simply. "The Romanian vampires had no intention of including you in their great reveal. You were just a pawn in their game."

"No! You are lying!" Vivienne's face was red and flushed. I looked at her, not believing that she wanted to be part of this great reveal. Her anger became uncontrollable, her breathing becoming harder she looked around the room. Soon her glare descended upon Tabitha who looked back at her with fearful eyes.

"You!" she screamed at her. "It's because of your witchcraft that these vile creatures were allowed here without notice."

"I asked her," I stated.

Vivienne's head turned sharply to me.

"It is her that will pay," Vivienne growled. Her breaths heavy as she turned her sharp eyes back at Tabitha.

"Tabitha!" I yelled, running to her defense. I was close but Vivienne was closer. My eyes widened in fear as I watched Vivienne shift to a werewolf. Her white dress exploding from her enlarging form as the scrapes and torn pieces fell all over the floor. Without wasting another second she hurtled herself at Tabitha.

I watched in horror as Tabitha fell to the floor as she turned to escape. Her eyes closed tight and holding her hands over her face as she braced herself for the attack. But just as Vivienne reached her destination, her body made a bone crushing impact in an invisible wall. An invisible wall that had thrown her across the room. In a blink of an eye, Vivienne laid still on the marble floor, wincing in pain; Emmett and Jasper making sure she stayed on the ground. I rushed over to Tabitha, her eyes still closed tightly.

"Tabitha?!" I grabbed at her shoulders shaking her, "Did you do that? Was that magic?"

"Wha-?" Tabitha said opening only one eye. "Am okay?"

"Yes, your okay!" I took her in my arms, more for my own reassurance than her comfort. I couldn't lose anyone else.

"Did you cast a spell?" I asked again.

"No," she looked up at me in confusion.

I stared at her with the same bewilderment. What just happened? I looked around to find everyone else with the same expression as I.

"You have been hiding yourself long enough," I heard Bella say. Looking up at her, I followed my eyes to who she was talking to, but only found empty space. I watched as the empty space became a man...a vampire standing still looking straight at Tabitha and I. His eyes were sad but his face familiar. I stared at him, the temple silent with me. No. It couldn't be...I couldn't let myself believe.

"Julian?" Tabitha choked out, tears streaming down her face. "Is it really you?"

"Yes," he whispered.

She quickly pushed herself out of my arms, leaving me kneeling on the ground as I watched her run to the man and jump in his arms. His hesitant arms enclosed her and his eyes closed as if to savor this moment. I slowly stood up.

"It is you," Tabitha said as she pressed her cheek to his. "Different, but it's still you. You came back to me."

He cupped her face as to look into her eyes.

"I've never left," he told her. "I could never leave you."

He set her down on the floor but Tabitha couldn't take her eyes off of him. He gave her a small kiss on the forehead and then turned to me.

"Lucas..." he said but I shook my head. This wasn't real...he wasn't real. My brother had died. I had watched it with my own eyes. "Brother, I wanted to tell you..." he trailed.

"Why?" Was the only thing I could manage to say.

Leah POV

"I'm dying," I told Lucas, my voice barely a whisper. "I can feel it. I'm slipping away."

I felt his hand brush my hair across my face, my head in his lap. I was back in my dream, on my ancestor's land. I could smell the ocean and hear the crash of the waves. It was only here that I felt safe and free from pain. In my dreams that he was always with me. I was sleeping a lot more and I could tell that my body was slowly shutting down. It had been a while since I last shifted and to be honest, I didn't remember the last time I was awake. Those times I was unfortunate enough to open my eyes, I saw my wounds were no longer healing and my body felt heavy. In those few moments I could blink open my eyes, my body still paralyzed to the ground, I watched the cuts and bruises on my arm become darker and deeper. I willed them to heal but I was fighting a lost cause. It was in these dreams with Lucas, I would start to hope. But now, I knew it was the end.

"Hold on," he begged me.

"I don't think I can anymore."

I could feel myself ironically falling asleep in my dream. My eyelids became heavy and everything around us was becoming hazy.

"I'm not letting you go, Leah," Lucas said as he brought me tighter against his chest.

"I'm glad I found you," I said. I reached up and caressed his cheek. "Even if it was only for a little while."

I closed my eyes. I was ready for whatever would happen in the afterlife. I tried to hold close to all my happy memories. Wherever I was going, I didn't want to forget.

"Leah, don't leave," he whispered in my ear. His voice strained, willing me to stay. "Please."

I looked up at him one last time, trying to commit every detail to memory but he was starting to fade away. The sun behind me was shinning stronger and stronger. It was blinding my eyes and I had to place my hand over my eyes.

And then... the pain that had been mudded out for so long came back with a vengeance.

A blood curdling scream, I recognized as my own, rang in my ears. I couldn't understand this pain or where it was coming from.

My eyes shot open, expecting to see hell but was met with a pair of red eyes belonging to a familiar little boy.

"I've come to save you," he said.

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**Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you! Also, when you have a moment, please check out my new story called An Innocent Evil. It's a Bella & Edward story. :-) Trying something new.**


	15. Chapter 14

_Nessie's POV_

Everything moved like a dream. Standing in the middle of Times Square, I watched the yellow cars pass, tourists taking pictures and the people bustling by without a clue that the world would be forever changes in a matter of minutes. The bright, sunny day seemed to have lifted everyone's spirits but I stood among them, letting my tears fall down my face. How many would not survive this war?

I couldn't remember how I had even gotten here. Just minutes ago, I was underground, watching a wedding that was never meant to be. I remembered the surprised shouts and the chaos that had begun in the church when Julian appeared, now a vampire. The guests who were content earlier to watch the drama unfold up the altar suddenly became restless when they saw their beloved Prince they believed met his death at the hands of a vampire. But there he stood before them, cold, pale and alive. I stood still and quiet in the shadows behind Jacob's protective stance, looking at him as he surveyed the scene waiting to see if a fight would break out. I felt his strong arm push me farther back against the wall. His worry was almost laughable. Out of everyone there, I was the one who could cause the most pain. But I let myself fall back and looked out to Lucas, who stood there shocked, hurt and suddenly terribly broken. I watched my father began to pull Lucas away.

"We need to get Leah," I heard him say quietly.

Lucas looked back to his brother. He was unwilling to leave without answers but his desire to make sure that Leah was found overwhelmed him.

"Go," Julian said to him.

With a quick nod, Lucas made his way out, following my father, his best man, Max and Seth.

Soon the church erupted as the guards began to take the Fiztroy's family into custody.

"Lucas! You can't do this!" Vivienne screamed at Lucas who was already out of the church. "You are the traitor!"

And that's when I felt Jacob take my hand and quickly lead me out of there. And now, above ground in Times Square I found myself now waiting. Jacob's phone rang and he quickly answered it.

"Yes?" he said. I looked up at him, praying to see a sign of hope on his face.

"She wasn't there," I heard Seth say on the other line.

"What do you mean she wasn't there?" Jacob growled. I cringed at his mis-directed anger. He was just frustrated.

"She's gone. Someone took her...smells like vampire," Seth responded back sharply.

I cringed. What are the chances that a good vampire, with good intentions, took her?

"We are going to try and follow the scent," Seth continued, "it's pretty much faded and well...there isn't much time but we are still going to follow it."

"Are you still with Lucas?"

"Yes."

"Stay with him. Nothing can happen to him."

"Of course."

Jacob hung up the phone and put it in his pocket.

"How much longer?" I asked Jacob, his hand still grasping mine tightly.

He looked at his watch.

"One more minute."

I nodded. There are no words to describe this feeling. Dread or anxious may be good words for my anticipation of the big event but all I felt was numb and my heart hurt with overwhelming sadness.

Warm arms grabbed a hold of me and pulling me tightly against Jacob's chest. I could feel his heart beat hard and fast. There were no words of encouragement, no reassurances that things would be okay because he wouldn't lie. I knew I had to be strong. _Save the ones you can_, remembering my mother's words from earlier that day. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to regain my bearings and my courage. Then the screams began.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Dear People of the World,_

_Tonight is one of a great affair and a great reveal. Look with your eyes and you will know that all is true. What was once just a mythical legend, we will show you has been real all along. We are the creatures that go bump in the night and the shiver that creeps up behind your neck. Today is a great day. One that you will remember for all of eternity. Today will change history. Where us vampires will no longer hide in the shadows. We will stride purposefully into the day. As the lamb knows of the lion, you, our prey, will know of your predator. It is now that we, vampires of the world, rightfully claim our position on the top of the food chain._

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**Twitter: EllaRose00**


	16. Chapter 15

Without a beta this time...be nice.

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Worried red eyes watched me as I grasped the bed sheets and cried out in pain. Sweat beaded at my forehead and slipped into my eyes making it difficult to see. I had thrown up twice already, a bucket placed diligently next to my bed. I knew what was happening to me and while this was the most pain I had ever been in, I was thankful because I was finally healing. Whatever drugs that were placed into my body, making me paralyzed and forcing my body's instincts to heal were all out of my system. But now, with all the damaged done to my body, the numerous broken and crushed bones, the deep gashes on my skin and the deep purple bruises were now begin the shift and heal. My wreaked bones were now moving slowly and painfully to their proper place, building themselves back together. I didn't have a doctor here to quickly set the bones straight and the process felt like it was taking forever to complete.

The anxious vampire boy looked at me, practically bouncing in his seat in anticipation. His eyebrows furrowed as he watched my cuts begin to heal.

"Would you like me to get you some water?" He asked, wanting desperately to be of some help.

I nodded my head as best as I could and in a flash he was back with a glass of water and a straw. _What a smart and thoughtful boy_, I thought despite my pained daze I had been in for the past 3 hours. He leaned into me, nose crinkled and carefully slipped the straw into my mouth.

"You smell bad," the boy said without remorse. "It makes me not want to eat you." He nodded and smiled, thankful for that fact.

The side of my mouth curved upwards and I tried to nod back. He pulled the straw away and placed the water on the night stand. Happy that the pain was slowly decreasing and my ability to know focus on my environment around me, I briefly looked around, recognizing that I must have been moved. I was in someone's bedroom…someone who had a sick floral fetish. There were floral bedspread, floral wallpaper and floral engravings all over the furniture. It was nauseating and with that thought, my cheeks puffed out and with vampire speed, the little boy placed the bucket underneath my chin as I heaved into it. Barely anything came up as my stomach had been empty for some time.

"Thanks," I mumbled and closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to subside.

"It looks like your healing fast," the boy said as he reached over tracing my almost healed scar on my arm with his burning cold touch. I opened my eye, wincing in pain, to look at him. Quickly, he pulled his hand away but still watching my body with such intensity.

I was still dirty and very grimy in the same clothes I had been wearing for god only knows how long. But I was thankful the little boy had not felt the need to clean me up and fortunate to have dodged any awkwardness that may have occurred.

"My name is Jace….Jace Spencer."

"Leah," My voice horse. "Clearwater."

He smiled brightly and continued to ignore any social consciousness as he continued to talk, oblivious to the amount of pain coursing through me.

"Do you remember me?" he asked.

I nodded my head. He was that brown haired boy who was feigning a frightened child when I had come to save him only to find myself in a trap.

"You can turn into a wolf."

I nodded again.

"That's really cool!"

The shooting pain in my leg increased and I grinded my teeth against the pain. I groaned as I looked down to see that the bones had finally connected to each other and beginning to heal. It no longer had that gruesome bended look to it. This was the worse of it. Seconds later my body now just felt a throb of pain rather than the piercing agony. The healing was speeding up more quickly.

"I'm sorry that I tricked you that night," Jace continued on. "It wasn't my idea. They forced me to do it."

I cocked my eyebrow at him.

"The other vampires that were there that night. The really mean ones."

He grabbed the water glass again and put the straw in my mouth, sitting on the edge of the bed now.

"Rick said I had to do it. He said if I didn't, he would hurt Olivia and he wouldn't change her for me anymore." He sighed taking the straw out of my mouth and placing the glass on the night stand again. "I'm really, really sorry." His eyes searching mine for forgiveness.

"Why are you saving me now?" I asked ignoring the Olivia comment temporarily.

"I…I don't want to be like them. I don't want to kill people. I'm trying….really hard."

"Sometimes you fail?" I questioned him, noting his red eyes and trying to see how dangerous he may be.

"Sometimes I can't help it; sometimes I'm just too thirsty."

My eyes began to get heavy as the pain was now starting subside. I curled deeper into the sheets carefully. I was so tired.

"I thought if I could save you that maybe you would forgive me," Jace said softly. "And maybe you could help me."

"I forgive you," I mumbled. And with that, I blissfully fell asleep.

By the third day, in Jace's care, I was finally able to get out of bed and was in the process of looking for a phone, only to find out the only land line had been disconnected. My energy had returned and all I wanted to do was get to my apartment, find Lucas and my family who were probably out of their minds worried about me. I stepped out of bed, looking down at my worn through, bloody clothes. I saw my reflection in the mirror and winced at the sight. I had never seen myself look so bad. My ratty hair and clothes made me look like I was homeless.

"You could borrow my mother's clothes if you'd like."

I turned to see Jace standing in the doorway. I watched him as he opened the closet, to show me. Noticing the pictures on the nightstand, picking them up, I was surprised to see a picture of his mother and Jace...human Jace in the frame. This must have been his home, even before he was made into a vampire.

"Jace, what happened to your parents?" I asked with caution.

"I never knew my father but my mother..." he trailed walked over to the nightstand and looking at her. "they killed her."

His mother was very stunning and was surprised how young she looked. Blonde hair and gorgeous smile. She looked like someone out of a high end fashion magazine. His mother looked familiar, like I had seen her before. She held on to him with such love and bright smile as they posed for the camera. Jace must of have gotten his brown curls from his father.

"She's very beautiful."

"She was a model."

I knelt down to look into the small boys eyes.

"What happened Jace? Why did they hurt your mother?" I asked.

"They wanted me. They said I was special. She tried to fight them but they were too strong."

"Jace, do you have a special gift?"

He nodded and stepped out of the room quickly as if to avoid answering further questions. I stared at the door, debating on following, but thought a shower was very much needed.

The warm water had never felt so good. I took care as I diligently scrubbed all the grime and dried blood off my body. Finally, somewhat presentable, I made it through the apartment. I found Jace sitting on top of the kitchen island reading a very thick book. His eyes rose to me and he quickly shut the book. I watched as he gracefully, leaped off the counter in front of me. He looked at my clothes longingly as I'm sure with me wearing them had brought memories of his mother.

"Are you leaving?" he asked.

"Yes, I need to find my family and let them know I'm okay."

He nodded, deep in thought and biting his bottom lip.

"Will you..." he trailed for a moment. "come back?"

I hesitated for a moment, but before I could give him my answer I heard the door break open.

"Jace," I heard a man growl.

I looked at Jace, his eyes wild with fear as he looked up to me. Protectively, I ushered him behind me. Not a second later, I was looking a disheveled man, with ripped clothes and matted down hair. His appearance frightening as his eyes glowed a bright crimson and blood, fresh from a recent kill dripped down his mouth and down his neck. He smiled at me.

"I should have guessed it was you who took her," he said. "I could smell her stench from down the hall."

Just as I blinked, the man was now painfully close to me, his face dangerously close to mine. His bloody finger traced my cheek softly and I could feel the trail it left behind. I glared back at him, my hands starting to shake.

"_Everyone_ has been looking for you," he said as if he was absolutely delighted that it was him that had found me.

He bent down to look Jace in the eye.

"And someone is going to be in very big trouble," the man waved his finger in front of Jace's face.

Without warning, my body exploded and the shredded clothes throughout the kitchen went off like a firecracker. I leaped at him as he stumbled back into the far wall. My jaws clamped down on his neck and snapped his head as I dislodged it from his body before he could scream. My body remembered and going on autopilot, I began breaking him down to pieces. All the hate and anger that had been consumed inside since my capture boiled out into this evil man. I couldn't stop till he completely in crumbs.

I was panting by the time I was done, still hovering over the vampire pieces and eyeing the damaged I had done to Jace's Kitchen. I looked over at Jace, who was pressed up against the wall on the complete other side of the room, watching me cautiously

"Leah?" I heard a frantic voice in my head.

"Seth!" I shouted in my head, but before I could say anymore, my body shifted back without my consent. It was almost like when I first began to phase only more chaotic. I had no control over it. Frustrated I punched the floor. Tears poured out my eyes and I cried because I was so unbelievably homesick and emotionally tired. I needed to find my family. I needed to find Lucas. Without warning again, my body shifted into its wolf form and not a second later I changed again into my human form. My body was violently vibrating out of control. It seemed like a good 10 minutes of in and out shifting before I just laid on the floor of Jace's kitchen panting. Something was wrong and I was terribly frightened.

"Here," Jace whispered as he pushed a pile of clothes at me, his hand over his eyes.

"Thanks," I grumbled, making sure that the erratic shifting was over.

I changed quickly and began gathering the man's body.

"We need to burn these," I said trying to focus on the task and push what just happened away from my mind for the time being.

"On the roof," Jace said as he handed me bags to put the pieces in.

We worked methodically, making sure that we weren't leaving any body parts behind. The atmosphere was quiet as I'm sure we were both thinking about what just happened and where to go from here. As we made it to the roof, we set the bags on fire.

It was early morning in the city. The weather was cold and the sky was gloomy. I thought for a moment that it was almost too quiet for a city. I walked over to the edge of the building hoping no one would notice the smoke coming up from this building. I leaned over and gasped at what I saw. The city had changed into a terrifying place. I looked to see war tanks turned over, large crosses nailed to buildings, bars over windows pulled apart. I could smell death in the air as bodies laid carelessly among the sidewalk. It was the aftermath of a war zone. I felt Jace step beside me.

"The world has become a different place since you've been healing."

I looked back at him wanting a further explanation. His little body sat on the edge of the building and a break through the clouds had the sun shinning brightly on his skin as the light reflected off of him in a beautiful crystal prism. He didn't move away and hide in the shadows. He sat with eyes closed almost enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face.

He turned to me and said, "Its okay," he said. "Everyone knows now."

Luca's POV

I clutched to the piece of fabric I found on the floor of the abandoned building. It still faintly smelled of her. I was so close and had missed her in what seemed like only hours. She had been there. Her blood, still somewhat fresh, stained in the area she had laid. A vampire had been here. I trembled at the thought of where she was now, wondering if she was still alive. It had been over a week and we still have not found her.

I watched the fire blaze brightly in the street. We had been fighting non-stop and there was no signs of it stopping. In a short time, I had become somewhat close to the Cullen family and the wolf pack. They were my only hope in finding Leah.

Carlisle and Jacob had argued with me to fall back and go into hiding. They had said it was too risky and I was too much of a target. I was the link that was forming the alliance between the clan, pack and kingdom. They argued that should I die, then this war would have no hope of ending. But I couldn't stand on the sidelines and as selfish as it seems, it wasn't entirely for my people but the desperate need to find her.

I was force to make a compromise. Carlisle had appointed me guards so to speak. I looked over at Nessie who stared off in the distance, her mind somewhere else. The red-eyed vampires didn't come close to us before Nessie had them on their knees withering in pain. Emmett stood close to me. I had observed what an excellent fighter he was. He made a great combination with Max. Their size alone was enough to detour any challengers.

I heard a howl in the distance and turned to look down the worn down street. Most of the major cities have been abandoned, humans taking refuge into any hiding spaces they could find. The broken crosses, tacked up garlic and abandoned wooden stakes were reminders of helpless the human race was against these enemies. It had been two days since TV News Channels had completely shut down. Our enemies were running in chaos as when they weren't fighting with us they were fighting with each other. Now that there was no need to keep kills secret, they had glutton themselves. The fight for blood had much higher stakes now as it started to seem the human race was dwindling fast.

I watched as a wolf race towards us fast. As he caught up to us, he pulled his shorts on through mid-shift.

"Lucas," Seth said panting, trying to catch his breath, his eyes wild and filled with hope. Something I hadn't seen for a while.

I looked back at him, not wanting to believe or get my hopes up but silently praying that he had finally had news. Nessie ran over to us, her eyes imploring him just as much as mine were.

"What is it Seth?" she demanded.

He took another deep breath and smiled at me. "I saw Leah. She shifted….she's alive."

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**Reviews are nice. :-)**


	17. Chapter 16

**Hello again! It's been awhile! I'm trying to get back into writing and even though this is a short chapter, I wanted to post something to get you interested in The War again. I hope you like this tid-bit of a chapter. Thank you to all the people who have stuck around and have been patiently waiting for the next chapter.**

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Lucas's POV

I walked quickly into my apartment, one of many throughout the city. I was in a rush. I just needed to shower, change into cleaner clothes before heading out to patrol again. I had been going for two days straight combing the city in the constant search. I was so tired but I knew I was so close to finding her. I couldn't stop now. The ability to not have to sleep is something I was becoming envious of the vampires. I never thought that would happen.

I made my way to my room, heading straight for the drawers. I shuffled through them looking for my black long sleeve shirt. I groaned in frustration as I couldn't seem to find it.

"Looking for this, little bro?" a voice said behind me.

I spun around to find Julian smirking, casually laying on my bed, playing with the shirt I had been looking for. I walked over and grabbed it out of his hands.

"You're losing your edge, Lucas. You need to sleep. You didn't even catch that I was here…," he paused, "that a vampire was here."

I grumbled something and headed to the shower. I was in no mood to deal with him. I needed a good cold shower to wake me up. As I stood there rotating the faucet to first cold then back to hot then back again, I heard my brother's voice as he stood outside the door. I hadn't really talked to him since everything went to hell. To be honest, I still didn't truly believe he was alive and apparently a vampire. I couldn't help but feel left behind or abandoned by my big brother all those years ago. He was suppose to be king, not me. He was always the leveled headed one, the responsible one. I was the hot tempered one, the one who always acted on my emotions. I wasn't made for this responsibility.

"Lucas, I know you've been avoiding me," he said with a sigh. I didn't answer. He cleared his throat. "I know it must be hard to come to terms with what I've become. But there are things we need to talk about. Things that we both know you've been avoiding."

Vampire or not, my brother and I have always been close enough for me to know what he was referring to. It was reassuring to know 9 times out of 10, I knew where his head was at.

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on the tiled wall. This wasn't a conversation I wanted to have right now. It seemed pre-mature, as the pivotal person in question was still missing.

"There are things that father never told us, things he wasn't very truthful about. One of them obviously being me."

I heard him sigh as I heard his steps pace back and forth in front of the bathroom door.

"I didn't mean to abandon you all those years ago, Lucas. The thirst...," he trailed, "It was so bad. I had to leave or I would have put everyone in danger. Please understand that I did what I thought was best. Over the years, I became more able to control it and learned on my own that there were other ways to sedate the thirst rather than use humans. I realized that though I had become something evil, there was still good inside in me.

I had come to see dad, to show him. For years we were told that this couldn't happen…a werewolf becoming a vampire. Up until now, our people just hadn't allowed it. Should it happen, it would mean certain death. It was only the honorable thing to do. But Father couldn't do that to me, he couldn't order my death. Instead he said I wasn't welcome to Oranious anymore, that I had been exiled."

"Father would never have done that. He would never turn away his own son," my voice harsh and barely loud enough over the sound of water hitting the tile floor.

"He had no choice, Lucas. I know that now. It was the only way he could of saved me."

His footsteps stopped and I heard him slide to the floor. I stared at the drain, watching the water circle down, listening to my brother.

"But with my gift, I disobeyed orders. I was able to stay but be unseen. I was only planning on staying for a little while. Just long enough to make sure you were alright and safe. I needed to know that the vampire who had done this to me wouldn't come after you. But then I notice Tabitha and she wasn't the little girl who followed me around anymore. She had grown up and I just couldn't turn my attention away from her. I watched her, followed her and fell in love. It was impossible for me to leave."

I shut the faucet off, starting to dry myself and get dressed. I put my jeans back on and made my way out the bathroom. Julian had moved and now was sitting on the edge of my bed, head in his hands. I put my shirt on and leaned against the wall across the room watching him.

"Then certain things started to set in motion. I watched you fall in love with Leah," he continued still not looking up. "I was concerned so I sought her out, trying to figure who she was and where she came from. I researched shape shifters, trying to dig up any information that I could find. In all texts and research that I found, she shouldn't exist…a female shape shifter. They should only be carried in the male chromosome.

"I learned that these shape shifters run in packs very much like we do. But what was most interesting I had found that they had become allies to a coven a vampires. These vampires were not like the ones I knew, they had eyes that were gold like mine. They were peaceful, civilized and not motivated by their thirst. They are strong Lucas. You know that. The powers they have are phenomenal. The only way the human race can survive this is if the people of Oranious align themselves with them."

He looked up at me. His stillness was uncomfortable even more so of what he was implying. I turned away from his gaze.

"I haven't known her that long, Julian" I said.

"This is hardly the time for courting, Lucas. Taking her out on more dates isn't going to change what you already know what you feel for her. How can you be so consumed with finding her but don't know if you want to make the commitment of spending the rest of your life with her?"

I know how I felt but I also didn't want to inadvertently push her away. I would do anything to have her as my wife but I didn't want to assume that she felt the same way about me, or at least as strong. I knew she had said I was her imprint. But I really didn't know what that all entailed.

"This is hardly a conversation that needs to be had. She isn't even here, she hasn't been found." I grabbed my shoes as I slipped my sweatshirt on. I looked at the clock. "I have to go."

"The kingdom is starting to divide. I don't know how long things will keep holding together. We need this alliance, Lucas."

I began to push past him but felt his cold hand on my shoulder. His hand stood out in front of me, holding our mother's wedding ring.

"You're going to need this soon," Julian said. He dropped it in my palm and I held the ring, staring at in fear. "Let's not waste anymore time, Lucas. Tonight we find her."

It was him who started past me and made his way out the door. With new resolve I slipped the ring on my the chain of my necklace. I knew my mother had loved Leah, even during the short time she knew her.

"Are you coming?" Julian called from the hallway.

I tucked the necklace under my shirt. Tonight was different, I could feel it. Not just because Julian had said so, but I had never felt such certainty within myself. Tonight, Leah and I would find each other.

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**Reviews are delightful!**


	18. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Hello Again! Hope all is well and that everyone enjoyed their summers. Some updates: I just started a young adult book review EllaRosesLiteraryQuest(dot)blogspot(dot)com. Please check it out! I just started but I've already posted a few book reviews. One on a book Variant by Robinson Wells that comes out next month. It's so GOOD! I also will be running contests to win free books. So if you into winning free books and like some good recommendations of great books, please check out my blog and sign up to follow! **_

_**Another thing I'd love to call out is my new story called Hidden Graced. I am loving writing it! It is a Bella and Edward center story but it involves angels. Let me know what you think!**_

_**Thanks again for being oh so loyal to this story. I hope you enjoy!**_

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Bella's POV

The world was dark and desperate. To see it change so quickly was something I couldn't comprehend. Compared to the others, I was still young, barely a blimp on the life span on this earth. I had been ready to see decades roll by, to experience what this immortal life had gifted me with. I was one of the lucky ones. I had all the time in the world and I had him, my soul mate Edward. And from the very beginning of this new life and from our love, a miracle was gifted to me so rare that no other vampire female could ever have. A daughter. When time seemed so expansive and infinite now seemed to be ticking by quickly, refusing to be held down. What would this world become when humans cist to exist? Would we all still be here to see the future?

I watched as Edward talked with General-in-Chief, General Tower, a tall and dark man outfitted in blood stained army fatigues. His unshaven face was old and worn though by the terrors that no one could have ever imagined. His bright blue eyes, wary of his company looked at my love with caution and hesitation. Though, it had been weeks since we have first met, his defenses against us were just as alert as the first day.

We were walking through large tunneled hallways with long hanging florescent lights every 15 feet. We were in a secret compound that had been built by the Cullen's more than 100 years ago, in anticipation that an apocalypse was bound to happen sometime in the future. Started by Carlisle, then with Edward, Emmett and Jasper by his side, this was an amazing feat of underground architecture. The high security and maze of tunnels wound indefinitely made it the perfect safe house for the humans and unarguably the safest place to hide the country's most powerful man, the president.

I walked behind Edward as he continued his conversation with the general. He spoke gently and avoiding direct eye contact hearing how uncomfortable the general felt in his presence. Edward was trying to make the best of the situation for him.

"How fast can we produce them?" the general asked.

"With our speed and ability to work around the clock, about 100 a night," Edward said.

We were walking through many of the hallways, lit up by the bright florescent lights. We passed large gymnasium sized rooms lined with rows and rows of cots. People always stop to stare when we walked by. Vampires, besides the Cullen family, were not allowed down in here. I watched as mothers quickly grabbed the young ones in their arms, while the men stood protectively in front of them. I didn't blame them for the lack of trust, even though it was us who provided their shelter and safety. They knew exactly what we were capable of and what we craved...their blood.

"Bella?" Edward called.

Dazed, I looked over to him realizing how far ahead they had gotten from me. I must have stopped to stare without me realizing it.

I quickly made my way over to him, his hand held out for me.

"Sorry," I said, taking his hand in mine.

We turned the corner to an even more secure area. I watched as Edward stood in front of a camera, as a red laser scanned his whole body.

"Access granted," the computer stated.

The general and I followed him through another long corridor.

"How is this weapon different from any of the others we tried?" the general asked. "Your bodies are completely indestructible."

"It's pretty complicated and technology that has never been used before. We are filming this demonstrating, it's easier if you just watched."

Into another white door, I saw Carlisle standing there with Jasper, staring behind a window. On the other side of the window was a shooting range. Carlisle and Jasper were conferring with each other over a digital tablet that Carlisle was holding.

"Where is Nessie?" Jasper asked as he looked up and saw me.

"She's back with the search party."

"With Lucas?"

"Of course."

"Any updates?" Carlisle asked.

"No, not any new ones," I sadly reported. We had to find Leah. She was the key to what could end this war. Despite our differences, I loved her very much. She was my daughter's best friend as well as second command to my best friend, Jacob.

Jasper nodded. Always the solider, he took his past experiences and became a great leader for us during this war that we had seemingly ambushed us. It was his missions that had the best efforts of getting as many humans as we did in this safe compound.

While Jasper was strategizing our next moves, his counterpoint Alice and Esme were helping the humans here round the clock. Which proved to be very difficult considering most were frozen in fear by us. They made sure each individual had clothing, cots to sleep on and any other human necessities that they needed. Carlisle continued, along with other human doctors that were saved, to attend the medical needs of the survivors. Annabel and Tabitha were great assistants as well. With Annabel's healing powers and Tabitha's ability to use her witchcraft to help heal as well, including their heavenly good looks, the two were regarding as angels sent from Heaven to save them. Though they tried very much to discourage this behavior from the survivors, they were referred to as Saint Annabel and Saint Tabitha. Carlisle's assistance towards humans was difficult and he was grateful to have Annabel and Tabitha by his side. Because of this, he was able to have more downtime, which was spent frequently with Edward and their research of this new technology that were preparing to demonstrate.

Edward was working round the clock on what he stated would help level the playing field for the humans. He had locked himself in the lab as much as he could, when he was not helping us figure out which vampires were on our side and who were against us. We were lucky that most vampires did not realize his capabilities or mine. Only Nessie's abilities were widely known as they were greatly feared.

I helped out were I was needed. Whether it was search the city to help our stock pile of supplies or helping out with the many missions lead by Jasper, I made sure I was always busy. I kept tabs with the pack back home in Forks from my father and their leader Sam. I was grateful that my mother and Phil had took safe housing back in Forks. I felt reassured for their safety as they were protected by Sam's pack. I would text updates to Jacob while he was out with Nessie as she guarded Lucas or when he was running patrols with other's in his pack.

My daughter had been instructed to keep close to Lucas. She was turning out to be our best weapon against the red eyed vampires. Her power were yet to be challenged by another vampire and therefore was Lucas's greatest protector now. He was essential to us winning the war and we could not afford his lost or Leah's for that matter. It was their love that kept our fate hanging in the balance.

"Are you ready for the demonstration?" Edward asked.

The General nodded his head. Carlisle pressed the button on the wall.

"Emmett, we are ready," he stated in the speaker. He turned to Jasper, his face suddenly uncomfortable, "You may want to help him, not that I don't trust Emmett's strength, but he's a wiggler."

Edward turned to me, taking my face in his hand. "You won't want to see this, Bella. Why don't you help Esme and Alice?"

His over protectiveness still had not weaned. I shook my head. "Too late and I told you I wanted to come. I've already seen too many horrible things, what is one more?" I strained to make light of our situation.

Always my protector, he sighed and took my hand in his. He kissed my temple and turned his attention to the room on the other side of the window. The large monitors above the window snapped on displaying to same room. I watched as Emmett and Jasper hauled out a disheveled red eyed vampire. Bald and skin grimed with centuries of dirt he never cleaned, he was nearly as large as Emmett. He fought and yelled his nearly silent screams as they held him tightly bringing him to the opposite of the wall.

"Sound proof," Carlisle stated as he watched the General begin to prepare to put in his ear plugs. The general nodded putting the plugs down to hang across his neck.

I felt Edward's hand tightened against mine. Though, we were sound proof room, as vampires we could hear the muffle sounds that the General could not and unfortunately, Edward could hear the vampire's screams in his head. Carlisle looked back at Edward, his eyebrow cocked in question. I could see Carlisle disgust in having to do this, knowing that he would always think that everyone was redeemable.

"1,782 deaths, Carlisle. He knows the exact number of his victims," Edward argued. "And these were not quick deaths."

Carlisle rubbed his face, clearly under moral distressed. He held the tablet and began typing on it. I watched as the gun on the opposite side of the room adjusted and aimed forward, a red dot visible on the bald vampire's chest as Emmett and Jasper held him forward.

"Ten second count down beginning," stated the computer voice overhead. "Ten...nine...eight..."

The laser on his chest began growing thicker. Jasper and Emmett continued to hold him down, their faces turned away, eyes shut painfully tight. The red eyed vampire's screams became impossibly louder. I watched as slowly cracks started to appear on his arms and face. I wanted to turn my face and bury myself in Edward's chest, but I could not make myself turn away.

Almost without warning, a split second after the computer counted down to one, an muffled explosion went off. I watched as the vampire being executed burst into pieces right before our eyes. I turned to look at the general who stood there silent, mouth slightly open watching the monitors above replayed the execution in slow motion in a loop. The laser that was on the vampire's chest created a hole in his body. Through this hole, a small bomb of sorts was implanted in his body, exploding the second the laser was gone.

"The only way to save the human race is to level the playing field," Carlisle stated. "This weapon will do just that."

Leah's POV

The world had changed. It was desolate, gray and frightening. The streets smelled of death and fire. The lifeless, sucked dry bodies lined the streets and Jace and I walked carefully around them. His cold hand painfully gripped mine as he lead me somewhere…some place he said he needed to show me. So I let him pull me quickly down the streets of New York City, my eyes taking in quickly all the destruction that surrounded us. We had been walking for about an hour. It was unsettling to see the city so deserted with no sign of life.

"Jace?" I called to him. A sense of urgency flowed through his steps as he hurried us along. "Where are you taking me?"

He didn't look back at me and didn't answer me.

"Jace, where did everyone go?" I tried again.

He sighed.

"The humans…" he started, still not looking back at me and still pulling me along. "There wasn't any time or warning. When the vampires revealed themselves to the world, there wasn't any reason for them to hide anymore or their eating habits. So they just attacked and..there isn't many humans alive."

Soon we were standing in front of a hospital. Abandoned cars and broken benches were strewn across the entrance. The automatic doors were smashed in but Jace lifted them effortlessly, ushering me inside and then letting the doors fall back in their same position. The hospital was deserted, dark and trashed. If we had been human, it would have been very difficult to see where we were going. Not even the emergency exit lights were giving off any red illumination.

"The army and lots of men with guns tried to fight them but they couldn't win," he continued. "Even with the good vampires and werewolves, they couldn't save as many as they wanted to. I guess the humans who are surviving are hiding."

My head snapped at him as my heart jumped in surprise at his words. I grabbed Jace's shoulder and he finally turned around to look back at me.

"These good vampires and werewolves…have you talked to them? Do you know where they are?"

He shook his head. "No, I've just watch them. I stay hidden."

"Jace, I need to find them. I think those people you've seen are my friends…my family."

"You can't leave me yet," he said with a panicked voice.

"Jace, I'm not going t-"

"I want you to meet Olivia," he cut me off.

"Wha-? Who's Olivia?"

"You'll see."

"You mean she's here?"

He turned away and pulled me down the hall way. When we approached the elevators he looked up at me. His eyes unsure but resolved at the same time. I watched as he placed his hand on the button and closed his eyes. I didn't say anything but just watched in confusion. Neither of the buttons lit up but soon I could hear the elevator shaft working and soon the doors dinged open. We stepped inside the pitch black box and I watched as he placed his hand once again the elevator wall. He closed his eyes and the elevator shut.

It was a quiet ride as I felt the elevator drop. None of the floor number lights lit up as we traveled. I stood their impatient and anxious to see where Jace was taking me. I looked down at him and watched him stand eerily still, holding the straps of his backpack and staring at the elevator doors. As the elevator doors finally opened, he reached for my hand again, pulling down the dark hall.

Soon we came to an unmarked door with a soft light seeping through the bottom. He opened the door and I looked hesitantly inside curious to see what I would find.

Pale and fragile, with a soft pink scarf that wrapped around her bald head, a young beautiful girl slept still on a hospital bed. The hum of machines and the quiet beep of the monitors hooked all around her, keeping her alive. The walls were painted with colorful doodles and pictures hung from the ceiling and twirled around above her head like a baby's mobile.

Jace pressed his hand on the monitor. His brows furrowed and then his face became pained. He looked up towards me.

"She doesn't have that much time left," he whispered

"How do you know?" I asked him, stepping to bed and sitting gently next to her. I let my finger trail down her arm, trying to convince myself that this was real.

"The machines told me."

"This is your gift?"

He nodded. "I can tell machines to do things and they can talk back to me. I told them to keep her alive but there is only so much they can do."

I had so many questions: how he found her, where her family was, how he can stand being so close to her. And how he had kept her hidden for so long.

"You have to take her to your friends. They'll change her, make her like me and then I can keep her forever."

I saw the hope in his eyes and the pain when he saw my hesitancy.

"Please Leah," he begged.

I looked at her, taking her hand in mine. She was as young as Jace when he had been changed. I don't think he understood what he was asking. He was asking to exchange one death sentence with another.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are much appreciated! Please follow me on Twitter: EllaRose00!**


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